Troy, N.Y. - Rensselaer students enrolled in a course called Community Planning Workshop will hold an open public forum on April 8 from 3:15 to 6:15 p.m. at the Doyle Middle School for local teens to discuss the development of an area skatepark. Rensselaer students have joined forces with the Rensselaer County Skatepark Community Partnership (RCSCP) to collaborate on the planning of the county-wide facility for local youth.

The workshop will give area skateboarders an opportunity to have a hand in the design, construction, and management of the skatepark. A second public forum is schedule for April 15 at the East Greenbush YMCA.

The skatepark project began as an assignment for students in the Community Planning Workshop class. To fulfill their collective goal to implement improvements to the neighborhoods surrounding the university, the students were told to work on the design, site feasibility, marketing, fundraising/sponsorship, amenities, programming, and safety plans for a free skatepark for area communities. The RCSCP, which was developing a skatepark independently of Rensselaer, partnered with the group of college students as a way to continue on with the project and put it in the hands of local youth once the semester ends.

"We have done considerable research, and are attempting to develop feasible sites and create surveys to determine what youth want in their local skatepark," said Rensselaer civil engineering student Michael Bongiorni. "We've also looked into how other skateparks across the country have operated with regard to revenues, subsidies, grants, problems, and, more importantly, what's worked for them."

"What is unique about this enterprise is that it encourages teenagers to be a part of each aspect of the park's development," said Angela McNerney, who along with her 13-year-old son Shane, heads the RCSCP initiative. "This skatepark will empower kids to make something happen in their community with their own hands. At an age where most kids feel powerless over what they can and cannot do everyday, this gives them something tangible to do."

Contact: Caroline Jenkins
Phone: (518) 276-6531
E-mail: N/A