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Councilmember Brown stated the 2014 Parks and Recreation Master Plan has been extremely active, <br />already seeing the completion of two tennis courts and the all -ability playground, and now the skatepark <br />is in motion. She expressed her admiration for the young people advocating for the skatepark. <br />In response to Councilmember Brown's inquiry, Assistant Director of Library and Recreation Crose <br />clarified the red mark on her map is simply a placeholder and there is no intention of removing those <br />trees to build the skatepark. To this point, they would actually like to incorporate the shade of those <br />trees and apologized for the confusing placement of the red blob. <br />In response to Councilmember Brown's inquiries, Assistant Director of Library and Recreation Crose <br />clarified the focal point of noise concerns should be the skateboards themselves, but staff is confident <br />the noise in the surrounding area would buffer skatepark noise. She added lights from the softball <br />fields, the street, and restaurants like Hop Yard will assist, although staff will consider the lighting in the <br />design phase. <br />In response to Councilmember Brown's inquiry, Assistant Director of Library and Recreation Crose <br />stated parks visited all have signage warning space is used at your own risk along with <br />recommendations for helmets and other safety measures. She cited Fremont Skate Park as an <br />example, stating staff will check on the park if issues arise but they are not there permanently for <br />monitoring. Assistant Director of Library and Recreation Crose stated the City's current skateparks <br />have a similar rider safety and staff monitoring plan. <br />In response to Vice Mayor Narum's inquiries, Assistant Director of Library and Recreation Crose <br />conveyed skateboarders have asked for additional lighting and she expects to hear from several of <br />them in public comments. She stated staff will discuss potential needs for additional lighting with <br />designers but staff feels the lighting is adequate between Hop Yard, the softball fields, and the <br />commercial property next door. <br />Vice Mayor Narum opened public comment. <br />Ethan Chih expressed his support for lights to permit nighttime skateboarding, an acre of space, and for <br />the skatepark to be named in honor of David Lambert for his dedication to Pleasanton's youth. <br />Tadashi Yamaoda expressed his enthusiasm for the project and for lights being on until 11:00 p.m. for <br />older skaters like himself who work during the day. He stated his hope for a full acre and cited the <br />addition of skateboarding to the 2021 Summer Olympic Games as a sign of the sport's continued <br />growth. He also added there is very little maintenance cost for a cement park making it a great overall <br />investment for the City and supported the idea of naming it for David Lambert. <br />Whitman Hall expressed his support for the project overall, having lights on until 11:00 p.m., and using <br />an acre or more. He stated people come from other communities to use Fremont Skate Park and a <br />larger park in Pleasanton could benefit the community. He also endorsed naming it for David Lambert. <br />Ryder Kuckein expressed his support for adding lights and spoke of the value of the skatepark during <br />the pandemic in particular being an individual activity. He echoed the comments of growing the skating <br />community in Pleasanton's potential effect of attracting skaters to come to the new park from outside of <br />the City. He endorsed the central location of Ken Mercer Sports Park for being convenient to get to, <br />even for those like himself who are too young to drive. Mr. Kuckein called for not completely <br />surrounding the park with grass like the current one which makes handicapped access difficult. <br />Ryan Korn expressed the need for the new park to be an acre or more for optimal success for both <br />rider safety and attracting citizens of Livermore and other cities. He also voiced support for lighting as <br />late as possible. <br />City Council Minutes Page 5 of 11 December 1, 2020 <br />