New Soto Skate Park: Where's the challenge? say skateboarders and bikers
Soto Skate Park’s new look with no ramps. “This is a slap in the face,” said Stephen Quigley, 17, of Grant City, a constant presence at the skate park for the past four years. “It’s like taking tackle out of football.” (Staten Island Advance/Virginia N. Sherry)STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – MIDLAND BEACH – Young skateboard and BMX enthusiasts who previously flocked to Benjamin Soto Skate Park from all over Staten Island expressed astonishment and disappointment last week about what they see as the dumbed-down version of the borough’s only skate park. The city’s Parks Department reopened the site on June 16.
“This is terrible – there are no ramps – this place is not a skate park any more,” said Woodrow resident Matt Duffy, 14, who attends Tottenville High School and gets from his South Shore home to the Midland Beach facility via the Staten Island Railway (SIR).
Great Kills resident Chris Nazzaro, 17, a recent graduate of Monsignor Farrell High School who will enter the College of Staten Island (CSI) as a freshman, agreed. “I’ll grind the rails for a little, and then find somewhere else to go,” he said.
“The old park was fine – we had a good and decent park – all it needed was repairs,” said Joshua Ocasio, a 20-year-old engineering major at CSI who lives in Prince’s Bay. “They just tore down everything. It should not have been bulldozed. This is crap.”
The Parks Department told the Advance on Monday that “six steel and concrete benches and multiple steel rails planned for the site are now installed,” and “a low concrete platform and ramp will be installed this summer.”
In a statement, the agency explained that “ramps over three feet require safety equipment and helmets and staff to monitor,” adding that “most of the new skate parks being built have primarily ‘street elements.’
“We hope to add concrete ramps, bowls and other elements when we have funding, but we will not be adding ramps over three feet as has been discussed with the community and elected officials on previous occasions,” the agency said.
“This is a slap in the face,” said Stephen Quigley, 17, of Grant City, a constant presence at the skate park for the past four years. “It’s like taking tackle out of football.”
“It’s a disgrace that it’s come down to this, and there’s only this to show,” said a disgusted Tim Cox, 15, of Bulls Head, a BMX enthusiast who attends McKee High School and sometimes rides his bike from the West Shore to Midland Beach when he cannot catch a car ride.
‘NO VARIETY’
From left to right, skateboarders Rich Rojas of Rosebank, 18; Joshua Ocasio of Prince’s Bay, 20; and Akeim Whylie, 16, also of Rosebank. “They should add quarter-pipes, banks, and ramps,” said Rojas, who used Soto Skate Park for four years before it was shut down and demolished.Skateboarders voiced similar complaints last week, all of them upset about the lack of ramps that allowed them to ride, “get air,” and establish momentum for other tricks. “You can’t fly off any of this stuff – there’s no variety,” one of them said.
“I can’t skate transition and do ‘tranny’ tricks. It’s all rails and street stuff,” another complained.
“It’s the worst thing ever. They should take it back, and put in some real edges,” said Akeim Whylie, 16, who lives in Rosebank and attends Ft. Hamilton High School in Brooklyn. “This is like junkyard welding,” he commented, pointing to the low metal rails. “I know because my dad is a welder. I want to unbolt this stuff, and bring it home for my dad to make better.”
His friend Rich Rojas, 18 – a McKee High School student, also from Rosebank – said that the newly reopened park “is not what I was expecting. I’m a little grateful, but they should add quarter-pipes, banks, and ramps.
“They didn’t consult with us when they made this. There should be fewer rails,” added Rojas, a user of the park for the last four years.
The whole point of skate parks is the availability of infrastructure not easily – and legally – found on the streets, the young riders explained.
“Kids go pro at 14 years old,” said Quigley of Grant City. “So for those of us trying to go pro, this is wasted time that we can’t get back. This was a place to learn – the only place on Staten Island.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
“We recognize that the current ‘street elements’ may not accommodate all styles of riding, and we are working with the skateboard and BMX community to identify and advocate for either future enhancements to Ben Soto, or the complete rebuild of a new skate park at the same location,” the Parks Department said in its statement. The agency noted, however, that “there is no budget at this time” to reconstruct Soto Skate Park.
BMX bikers at Soto Skate Park — “This is a slap in the face,” said one.“We are also investigating additional skate park opportunities in Staten Island parks,” the agency added. “We are now considering the possibility of adaptively-reusing the old Safari Amusement Park site (at Arthur Kill Road and Richmond Avenue, owned by the Parks Department) as a skate park,” the agency stated, noting that “a Request for Proposal for the operation of the adjacent building facility as a Parks Concession was released on April 20, and the deadline was June 23.
Read the whole story here
http://www.silive.com/eastshore/index.ssf/2011/06/new_soto_skate_park_no_challen.html
Skate Board Furniture
Yes furniture made with recycled skate board decks. Turn old broken decks into tiles, tables, art, and whatever else your heart desires. Here is the link to their site.
And below is some balling furniture only Tom and Bupsy would have.
Money table. Talking about Blowing money fast.
Close up of Money table leg
Bupsy digital table. and yes its touch screen.
Apple 2012 furniture line
Alex would love this chair!
Augie would love this chair!
Letters to the Advance about the skate park. Did you write one yet?
Here are some letters that were published in the Staten Island Advance. Did you write one yet?
By EDWARD POLLIO
PRINCE’S BAY
My name is Edward Pollio, and I am writing to you on behalf of the 300 kids who utilized the Benjamin Soto Skate Park here on Staten Island and their parents, who have looked to me as a resource in working with the New York City Parks Department to keep the skate park open for the past five years.
Since its opening in 2005, Benjamin Soto Skate Park in Midland Beach has been a refuge to Staten Island kids, where they can stay off the streets, off drugs, and out of trouble.
More than just its ramps and rails, this park is the heart and soul of our community – parents, children, and community activists alike have rallied behind the park as a place for neighborhood kids to come together and share in their love of skate sports.
Despite our continued initiatives to bring attention to the Parks Department’s ongoing neglect of the space, which has fallen into disrepair in recent months from its constant use, the park was closed last October due to the unsafe condition of the equipment.
This catalyzed a unified effort from the Staten Island community to get funding from the Parks Department to have the equipment resurfaced and repaired.
You can imagine our shock when a group of neighborhood boys rode over to the park on the first day of their spring break only to find bulldozers tearing apart their favorite hangout.
After all our efforts to get the park cleaned up for the warmer months, how could it have been demolished without warning? The Skate Park community was not given notice, nor the chance to raise funds for the park’s repair.
Moreover, I cannot express our disappointment that this youth community keystone is being torn down to make way for a “streetscape” park.
As it stands, the Parks Department’s future plans for the space are a far cry from what Benjamin Soto Skate Park seeks to provide – a permanent place for Staten Island’s extreme sports community to practice their sport, teach one another and hone their skills.
As the originators of the space’s concept, we would have been more than happy to put in the volunteer labor required to bring the park up to code.
Benjamin Soto Skate Park must be reinstated. Not only to provide the kids with a safe place to ride, but also because it is a pillar of the community, a cherished memorial to Benjamin Soto.
Benjamin always dreamed of returning from his Marine service to open a place just like our skate park, but he didn’t live to see his dream come to fruition.
I hope you won’t let his dream die.
WE NEED YOUR HELP. Please help us keep this safe haven alive.
http://www.silive.com/opinion/letters/index.ssf/2011/04/communitys_support_needed_to_s.html
By RAYMOND RUSINAK
WEST BRIGHTON
Today’s kids are supposedly consumed by video games, TV and the computer. Today’s parents are supposedly over-involved in organizing our children’s lives through a myriad of sports leagues and organizations. This is not the case with at least one group of kids: those involved in skateboarding, BMX biking and other so called extreme sports.
The kids who take part in these activities aren’t tied to their couches, TV’s and computers. Nor do they rely on their parents to organize their activities and games for them. They go to the park and do their own thing. The older kids help the younger ones with tips and encouragement. They share equipment and tools among each other. The kids get along, they teach each other, they learn from each other, they bond with one another. Most importantly they grow as individuals with one another.
For anyone who has spent any time at all at the former Benjamin Soto Skate Park in Midland Beach, you know exactly what I am talking about. Unfortunately, if you have not had the pleasure to have seen these kids skating and riding at Ben Soto you may never have the opportunity to do so again. Last Monday, the Parks Department brought in bull dozers and leveled the park.
It had fallen into a state of disrepair, something the kids themselves have been quite aware of. Many of them pursued the official and proper channels in order to get repairs done. Nothing happened until the bulldozers leveled Ben Soto. “Officially,” the park had become dangerous largely due to vandalism.
Sure there was graffiti on some of the ramps, but the park had become a hazard not due to vandals or misuse. No, the park had become hazardous because it was such a success. Skateboarding and BMX riding can be very rough on its environment. The ramps needed resurfacing, the rails needed work, etc.
The park could very easily have been repaired without destroying what was already in place. But no, the Parks Department felt the need to take it all down. They now say that it will be rebuilt in three weeks time with “modern streetscape elements, including reinforced steel picnic tables, granites steps, cement planters and a single pipe rail.”
Even to the uninitiated, this certainly doesn’t sound much like a skate park. The Benjamin Soto Skate Park should be rebuilt as a skate park with at least the same amenities it had when it was first opened in 2005. The skaters and rider should also be given input in its design.
It is a shame that all of this had to come to pass because it could very easily have been avoided and as such could have saved the city a good amount of money. But that moment has passed and it is time to move on. Let’s just hope that the powers that be don’t forget that this small amount of space was and should still be about the kids.
http://www.silive.com/opinion/letters/index.ssf/2011/04/rebuild_skate_park_demolished.html
By CAROLINE BJORLING
GRANT CITY
First we get a clueless New York City schools chancellor, Cathie Black
Now it’s a clueless Borough Parks Commissioner, Adena Long.
Her authorized destruction (instead of repair) of the Benjamin Soto Skate Park shows she is unaware (or uncaring) of the importance of this only skate park on Staten Island.
The teen years go quickly, and a couple of years make a huge difference in development of skills needed in this sport.
Ms. Long, in effect, has stolen that time from our teens for the sake of a few picnic tables and planters which she claims are “what kids like to play on.”
Oh, really?
http://www.silive.com/opinion/letters/index.ssf/2011/04/demolition_of_skate_park_shows.html
By KIMBERLY PAPANIER
NEW DORP
I just wanted to thank the Parks Department and Staten Island politicians for keeping up the trend of making empty promises.
That was a stellar job Monday of dismantling the Ben Soto Skate Park in a matter of hours. How quickly you can get things done when it suits you.
For the last two years, the kids who use the park have been asking for the park to be renovated, but there hasn’t been money for it.
What was the point of all the civic meetings, then? The Parks Department went about things in a sneaky way and I refuse to believe the Staten Island politicians had no knowledge.
Once again, the other four boroughs can provide better services to the people who live there while we remain the “forgotten borough.” Thanks for nothing!
http://www.silive.com/opinion/letters/index.ssf/2011/04/surprise_dismantling_of_popula.html
Here are some other address’s you may want to email also.
James Oddo: NYC Councilman
District Office Phone - 718-980-1017
Legislative Office Phone - 212-788-7159
Phone - 718-980-1045
Email - oddo@council.nyc.ny.us
Adrian Benepe: NYC Parks Dept. Commissioner
Phone 212-360-1305
Email - adrian.benepe@parks.nyc.gov
Adena Long: Staten Island Parks Commissioner
Phone – 718-390-8004
Email - adena.long@parks.nyc.gov
Mayor Bloomberg: NYC Mayor
Email - http://www.nyc.gov/html/mail/html/mayor.html
Fax – (212) 312-0700
Michael Schnall: Sten Island Director of Government.
Email - michael.schnall@parks.nyc.gov
Please sign this petition - http://www.change.org/petitions/restore-and-rebuild-benjamin-soto-skate-park
Benjamin Soto skate park petition on Ride BMX site.
Steve Quigly, a Staten Islander, hit me up with this email…
‘On Monday, April 18th, 2011, the New York City Parks Department tore down Staten Island’s only skatepark, “Ben Soto Skatepark”, named after a BMX rider who passed away serving his country in 2001. The Park Department said that park was torn down due to hazardous conditions of the ramps, however, the ramps needed very little maintenance to get them into brand new shape (IE: re-sheeting of main layers, tightening and replacing screws). This beautiful skatepark was torn down, and is said to be replaced with “streetscape elements” consisting of 1 rail, planters and stairs. This is not what the BMX community wants, but Parks does not seem to care to much about what we think. We started this petition to show the Parks Department that the Ben Soto Skatepark is truly missed, and we need a park of equal or better structure, not 1 single rail and a few stairs. It will really be appreciated if you sign this petition and join the facebook group! The larger amount of people that sign and join, the better we look and the better chance we have of getting a great skatepark in Staten Island! Thanks a lot!!’
Sign the petition, and join the Facebook group below and show your support for Shaolin!
Petition link:
http://www.change.org/petitions/restore-and-rebuild-benjamin-soto-skate-park
Facebook link:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_140181056053194&ap=1
http://bmx.transworld.net/1000127612/news/ben-soto-skatepark-petition/
South Beach Civic Meeting April 27, 2011 at 7Pm
I was always amazed on the numbers of people who showed up to all the civic meetings, town hall meetings, and community board meetings. But this one is the most important. The local politicians and media is going to be there and the South Beach Civic is making accommodation’s for mass numbers we are going to have at this next meeting. Plus I have a surprise guest coming to this meeting. So please tell a friend to tell a friend and stand up for your skate park.
Please sign this petition - http://www.change.org/petitions/restore-and-rebuild-benjamin-soto-skate-park
Facebook link:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_140181056053194&ap=1
Photos of the Benjamin Soto skate park being torn down.
On April 18, 2011 the NYC Parks Department decided to ignore the cries for help by the user’s of the Benjamin Soto skate park; on that day a staff of 20 Parks Department employees tore down the whole skate park. If you follow this website you would have seen that for the past few months user’s of the Benjamin Soto skate park have been going to civic meetings, community board meetings, town hall meetings, and lobbying their local politicians to get the park re-layered with new plywood and skatelite. Parks seems to have had a hidden agenda to punish the users for reaching out to the media and civic groups. According to the Staten Island Advance, Parks says, that they plan to install “modern streetscape elements,” including reinforced steel picnic tables, granites steps, cement planters and a single pipe rail. They go on to quote Staten Island’s new Parks Dept. Commissioner Adena Long stating that, “These are in things you would generally see in any public plaza or public park, and quite frankly, is what the kids like to play on anyway,”
But the truth is that none of the BMX and Skate community have seen the design, or have been contacted to help with the design. This skate park cost NYC over $500,000.00 in 2004, and now there’s no other skate park on Staten Island.
Kids riding the park in protest.
The staff tearing the railings down.
Benjamin Soto was a U.S Marine/ BMX bike rider who dreamed of opening a skate park in his home town of Staten Island. He passed away in 2001 and Parks Dept. named the park after him when they built it in 2005.
2 kids trying to stop the bulldozer from tearing down the skate park.
NYPD was called in by NYC parks Dept.
Sit in.
NYPD told the kids if they didn’t get out they would be arrested.
Here is a shot of the inside of the quarter pipe which is said to be in disrepair and it’s dangerous to the children. Looks strong to me.
The kids watched them tear it down all day.
Here is the link to the photos
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ghbnyc/sets/72157626406525797/
Here a petition to save the skate park:
http://www.change.org/petitions/restore-and-rebuild-benjamin-soto-skate-park
And Facebook link to save the skate park:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_140181056053194&ap=1
Gold mine
Last week Tom was nice enough to go through his attic and hand over to me a shoebox full of old GHB tapes. These 33 tapes were recorded from about 2001-2004 and are a gold mine of old shit. Over 24 hours of lost footage from South Beach, road trips and everyone who is considered “old” now.
Highlights include:
- South Beach ramps during each phase: new, damaged, burnt and on the verge of total collapse.
- Alexis eating a bunch of shit.
- Alexis breaking his tooth at East Coast Terminal.
- Alexis searching for his broken tooth at East Coast Terminal while every continues to ride.
- Tom’s broken teeth.
- The JCC pool being drained and shredded.
- Ed Pollio breaking the law on several occasions
- Drunken Guy Verdarosa and his cactus.
- Canada road trip featuring a naked Sebass.
- The aftermath of Rob Darden being punched through a window in Ed’s van.
- An Ed Pollio edit.
- Various run ins with the law.
- and much much more…
Once I find a reliable way to get all of the footage off I’ll be posting bits and pieces onto the site, but I think the ultimate plan is to save the bulk of it for the GHB 2004 video that never was and possibly including it in the full length video that will be coming in the near future.
Alexis after breaking his face at East Coast Terminal
Alexis getting ass raped. And yes he told the cop that he was ass raping him.
Here’s the intro done by Tom to the video that never was.
South Beach Civic Association Meeting on 10-27-2010
South Beach Civic Association Meeting on 10-27-2010
At the Meeting there was an amazing amount of kids, people, and parents from the Ben Soto Skate Park. Every group from Bike Riders, Skate Boarders, Roller Bladers, and Scooter Riders attended. Together we lobbied for the Project Spark proposed indoor skatepark and for the remodeling of the EXISTING Ben Soto Skate Park. We would like to say thanks to RoseAnn and Joe McAllister, as well as the rest of South Beach Civic Association for letting us speak, and N.Y.C. Comptroller John Liu , Parks Commissioner Long for listening to us. Also thank you to Jack Ryan for speaking on be half of all of us.
Halloween weekend photos
Here’s a bunch of photos from my phone that I took over this eventful weekend. Friday was the Red Bull Jam and then the after party, Saturday’s photos are already up in another post but I threw up some from the partying afterwards and Sunday was more ramp building followed by a big bon fire and some shredding. Enjoy.
Here’s a blurry shot of the course with the hearse in the center. It was fucking freezing that night I don’t know how anyone even attempted to ride.
The best costume of the entire weekend. Dom Biro as a Four Loko, holding a Four Loko.
Tom always looks so pissed. I think it’s the Polish in him. I wonder what they’re looking at.
Sebass quit riding to keep and maintain an active book collection. Look at how little his eyes are.
The bar was packed as shit. This is only the downstairs section too. Before we got inside we had to wait on some line with a velvet rope like we were going into some highfalutin club.
The bar eventually got shut down because it was way over capacity. You can’t really tell from this photo but theres a cop at the end of the street blocking it off. Ivan parked on this block and was stuck cause of this.
Guy is an old man with a wife and kid and was very happy that the bar closed so that he could go home and get to bed.
These next photos are from Saturday night. We all headed out to Martini Red. Highlights include the slowest bartender in the world, lot’s of face paint, a mickey mouse costume Tom really liked and a guest appearance by Guy’s sister.
Mary went as a dead Mary.
This photos makes me want to shave.
Guy rubbed some black shit all over his face and smiled real big.
Tom and Guy were wearing the same shirt so Guy decided to do the same makeup as Tom. Homos.
Gary grew this wild mustache right at the bar! Incredbile!
Guys sister dressed up as Guy. That’s Gary’s hand poking her.
And finally the next few photos is from the Jam. I didn’t take too many pictures but Zack did film a bunch so there should be an edit soon.
This is the new quarter that’s after the new box. As usual there are 3 people working, 6 people watching and 1 person taking the photo.
Ed Pollio hard at work on his favorite new ramp.
Alex even took time out of burning things to screw some shit in. Here he is dressed up as his favorite drink, semen.
Here is the just about finished setup. There are only a few more things to be added to the main section. Lots of double layering to be done.
The fire went from 10am til 10pm. Here’s everyone taking a break from building.
All in all it was a great weekend. I ate a bunch of shit on the ramps and Ed Pollio yelled at a bunch of kids for not working to his standards.
