Results tagged “14th Street Skate Park” from Press Corps

How important are skate parks to urban communities?

That's the question at next Tuesday's monthly Beer & Politics political discussion. Long Beach's 14th Street Skate Park is slated to receive $620,000 in federal stimulus funding, which has drawn criticism from Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. He placed the project on his list of 100 questionable projects being funded by the stimulus package. See our article on that here.

Long Beach officials say the park will create jobs in the renovation work and, more importantly, keeps youths in a rough neighborhood from getting into trouble. Speaking at Beer & Politics will be Mike Donelon, a former 7th District councilman and skate park advocate, and Dennis Thys, the city's director of Community Development.

The public discussion will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Gallagher's Pub & Grill, 2751 E. Broadway. If you can't go, you can watch it live online here. Below you can watch a Press-Telegram video about the skate park as well. Enjoy!

In the newly erupted controversy of a local skate park that has drawn criticism from one U.S. senator as being among the worst misuses of federal stimulus funding, 1st District City Councilman Robert Garcia continues to fire back.

He announced today the creation of a new page on his Web site to muster support for the 14th Street Skate Park project and where the public can find information about the plans. You can see two Press-Telegram stories about the project and the controversy here and here.

Earlier this week, Garcia released the following statement in response to the criticism of Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla.:

The Long Beach 14th Street Skatepark is an essential recreational facility for young people in one of the most vulnerable and densely populated areas in the country. Residents have strongly advocated for the park for many years. The park will bring jobs and an improved quality of life to Long Beach, and offer positive activities to youth who might otherwise be left to fend for themselves on the streets. I'd like to personally invite Senator Coburn to visit our community and to tell the kids who want and need this park why he wants to take it away from them.

Despite Senator Coburn's very visible opposition to federal spending on everything from bridges and wilderness protection to medical research and alternative energy, his state receives about $1.36 for every dollar it pays in Federal taxes, while California gets back just 78 cents on its tax dollar. In fact, Oklahoma receives from the Federal government approximately 1,000 dollars more per person on average than does California. This is just more evidence that Tom Coburn is out of touch and that his grandstanding about the stimulus bill is worse than irrelevant - it's patently hypocritical.

This is a park we can all be proud of, and I'm proud to let Senator Coburn know that it's going to get built whether he likes it or not.