Editor's note: Today's letters to the editor are from Southwest Junior High students learning about persuasive writing.
To the editor:
I am writing to the City of Lawrence to propose an indoor skate park. If we build one, it could be located on one of the empty lots along Wakarusa Drive.
One of the problems at Centennial Park is that the use of illegal drugs has gone up dramatically for skaters along with underage drinking. Some people live across town from the skate park. And the local water supply is cutoff during the winter. These are only some of the reasons why I am proposing this skate park.
To fund this facility I propose that local skaters talk to their parents to get them interested to donate money. We should also go to a city council meeting to talk to commissioners about this idea. We could go to meetings and talk to city representatives about the indoor park. We also could take out a city loan and build the indoor skate park. Then we could charge a couple dollars to enter the park. After a couple of years we could pay off the loans and still charge money to get in to keep the building maintained and to pay for electricity and other necessary items.
I hope that the local skaters in Lawrence will consider this idea and unite to make a skate park for year-round use.
Julian Cole-Nieves,
Southwest Junior High
Comments
hawkperchedatriverfront 5 years, 2 months ago
Build it inside and the drugs will be more fun and it doesnt rain inside.What's the big deal about skateboard? Why not have a Chess Palace or maybe a Scrabble Palace , both indoors.Why not stay at home and play in the backyard.Or get creative as some other posters have mentioned. Have a teen seminar and invite the kid from Tonganoxie to show you how to build a bomb from M-80s. That would be fun.
Richard Heckler 5 years, 2 months ago
After reading the recent letters by young people about their concerns Sally Landoll,Language Arts teacher, deserves recognition for the art of encouragement. The young writers deserve a hats off for moving forward with that project. Excellent performance on relating your thoughts to the public.Teenagers are selling themselves short. Put ingenuity to work and tell boredom to take a hike. More new buildings will not eliminate boredom. You young people can do it!Do any of the parents have space for a 4'X8' sheet of plywood to build a lego city that could involve more than one teen?http://shop.lego.com/ByTheme/Department.aspx?d=9&CMP=KAC-YAHOONA&HQS=lego+city How to get around: Use bikes and feet = exercise or public transportation. Walking or biking about town will provide a ton of exercise. Remember water.Do one day of:indoor poolgo to a moviework on Lego City ( we're talking 1,000's of pieces)have a gathering in a home – play cards take bike hikes to Clinton Lake on the bike trailplan a hike on foot ( 5-6 miles round trip with lots of water)Volunteer to help an older senior neighbor with yard workSchedule art project classes at the Art Centergrocery shop for Mom and Dadpart time jobplant an organic food gardenplay kick ball school groundstake up roller blade hockey( try abandoned tennis courts in parks and on school grounds)KU Natural History Museum board game party in a home4H projects – even for city slickers a wide variety*Prairie Park Nature CenterAbove are 17 days of stuff to do. If you have afternoon parties at in homes don't forget the music. These activities are necessarily "thinking outside the box" which is to say get on with it.Be constructive, Creative and Enjoy yourselves!
Benjamin Roberts 5 years, 3 months ago
Ralphralph,It only makes sense for someone who is truly interested to establish a new park. As the SWJHS student, Julian Cole-Nieves, stated: the current park is fraught with problems, “…illegal drugs…underage drinking…water supply is cutoff.” Malkasmama confirms even more problems with Centennial Skate Park asserting that it is “not only boring to many skateboarders, but any “improvements” made have only made it worse.” It is obvious that the City of Lawrence is incompetent to operate a skate park; thus, it does not make sense to ask the City to create a new park. I believe that would illustrate the definition of insanity – to do the same thing again and expect a different result. Therefore, I reiterate the value of an interested party making the investment to create an exciting, drug and alcohol free skate park.
ralphralph 5 years, 3 months ago
Get a job, you hoodlums!just kidding** but, really, say_that doesn't have a bad idea, there.
Benjamin Roberts 5 years, 3 months ago
Malkasmama,You could form an S-chapter corporation, secure a small business loan, and build an indoor skate park. The great need would then be met. This would not only provide the skate park, but would also ensure that it was designed and operated by someone with real “skater” knowledge and interest.
malkasmama 5 years, 3 months ago
YES! We really need to focus on a new skate park, indoors or out. The centennial skate park is not only boring to many skateboarders, but any "improvements" made have only made it worse. I'd be willing to help organize another Skate Jam like I did a couple of years ago, and also attend city commission meetings. Let me know how I can help encourage the city to focus on a long overdue new skate park!
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