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Skateboard park Continued from Page 1 before awarding the bid and perhaps actually rebidding the construction contract. Sublett voted against it without comment. In addition, during the commis sion’s Public Comment Period immedi ately prior to the regular meeting, two skateboarders spoke asking the com mission to hold off on the project and give “the local skateboard community” some input on the design of the park. Jim Hill said he had tried to get involved with the project through the local skateboard association. “But,” Hill said, “We were unable to make that happen. We want to be involved in the design. I see design fea tures lacking (in the proposed design). What is wrong with making some modifications to the design. This park needs to be for all skaters, all ages and skill levels. And we want to see tax dollars spent wisely.” Hill said he appreciated what the county was doing and offered to work with the recreation department in applying for a grant from the ‘Tony Hawk Foundation’. Note: Tony Hawk is a professional skateboarder who formed a charitable foundation. According to their web site, the foundation, “through special events, grants and technical assis tance, supports recreational programs with a focus on the creation of public skateboard parks in low income com munities.” Another skateboarder, Calvin Ken ney was also less than pleased with the county’s skateboard park design, which he claimed was done by County Recreation Director Wesley Davis. “The design looks good in the draw ing, but on the ground it’s a different thing,” said Kenney. Kenney said having Davis design the park was like letting a landscaper build a golf course. “You need a golf course expert to do the job,” he said. Later during the regular meet ing, Davis told the commission he did not design the park. That was done, according to Davis, by American Ramp Co., with his input, at no cost to the county. Kenney also said the county needed to get an experienced company to build a world class facility that would be a “destination park” and draw skaters not only from surrounding counties, but from around the state and the south. Kenney also questioned the safety factor of what he called a “non-skater’s design.” “This design,” said Kenney, “is like putting a cul-de-sac on an interstate and calling it an off ramp.” Kenney said it was not a good design and skateboards were going to be “flying everywhere.” Initially, the skateboard park proj ect was listed on the consent agenda, but Commissioner Tony Thaw (Dist.3) pulled it for public information pur poses. Thaw said that since he had been a commissioner they have been working on not only the skateboard parks, but all areas of recreation. “There’s a lot of good things hap pening in our recreation department,” Thaw said. Thaw spoke about the numerous meetings Davis held with local skate boarders. ‘We decided to put a small one on St. Simons and the large one on the mainland,” said Thaw, ‘We listened to their input and attended numerous meetings. This design can be added onto later if we need to expand the park and if the skateboard association raises the money. We’ve got plenty of land.” Thaw also thinks that skateboard ers will travel to Glynn to use the park. Many of them will stay overnight or for the weekend which will be ben eficial to the local economy, especially if they have skateboard competitions at the park. After Thaw’s comments, Wesley Davis told the commission that the park “was not an overnight deal.” “I’ve been here 14 years,” said Davis, “and we’ve been working on the skate board park for 12 of them.” Davis said he has looked at many other skateboard parks and designs and has been meeting with the local skateboard association since 2007. Commenting on American Ramp Co. and the construction contract, Davis said, ‘We put in the design what the skateboarders told us they wanted. When we put the bid on the street we required that bidders must have been in business 10 years and have built at least five skateboard parks.” After the conversation, Thaw made a motion to approve the contract. Coleman asked Davis, “How do you know this is a good price?” Davis responded, “We have books and books of parks that show pric es. We’ve been investigating this for years. We’ve looked at thousands of pictures of parks. We know what they cost. This is not a million dollar park, it’s not like the ones you see on TV, but it has a lot of stuff.” “A year ago, weren’t you talking about building a destination park with skateboarding events?” asked Cole man. ‘Yes,” said Davis, “but since we only have about $300,000 to spend, and not $500,000 this is what we can get. The association said they were going to raise money for a larger facility but didn’t.” “Did you design it?,” asked Cole man. “American Ramp Co. (ARC) designed it. We are not designers,” THE ISLANDER, MAY 10, 2010, PAGE 5 said Davis, ‘We told them what we wanted and they, the professionals, designed it.” “Did they consider the geography of the area?” asked Coleman. ‘Yes,” said Davis, “they built the one on St. Simons, so they are aware of the conditions.” “Did you get a second bid (other than ARC)?” asked Coleman. ‘Yes. It was rejected as non-respon- sive,” said Davis. Coleman questioned whether the construction contract should have gone to the company that designed the park. He said it would give them an unfair advantage. Coleman said, “When you’re going to spend $400,000 on a project, you should look down the road at longevity and maintenance instead of jumping on the first thing you see. We should take more time and look at others. Let see how competitive this bid really is. I’d like a little more information from people and skateboard park compa nies.” Davis said, “I work for the commis sion. I’m here to do whatever you want me to.” At that point Thaw called the ques tion and his motion was approved. □ State Senate Means Leadership Wise, conservative leadership that protects our freedoms, defends our values and provides for future generations. Faithfully served as Municipal Court Judge for the City of Brunswick for 16 years Has practiced law for 23 years; as Senior Partner in the firm of Ligon, Middleton and Lindberg, PC, he understands the pressures of running a small business Is deeply committed to the future of our area, with his residence in Camden County and his law practice in Glynn County I pledge to be an advocate for the conservative principles of limited government, lower taxes, free enterprise, individual liberties and family values. I will use my best judgment and knowledge of the law to promote and defend these ideals which are important to our way of life in coastal Georgia. \ WILLIAM LIGON Vote William Ligon State Senate, Third District, in the Republican Primary on July 20. To learn more: williamligon.com 912.275.8220 Email: info@williamligon.com