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Peterka pleased with skatepark turnout
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Posted on Dec 07 2006
The Rotary Club of Saipan was pleased with the level of enthusiasm for the construction of a skatepark on Saipan after a large crowd met in the Garapan Central Park roundhouse to discuss the plan.
As the co-chair of the club’s Skate Park Committee, Laurie Peterka has been working behind the scenes with a number of community leaders to get the ball rolling and she was excited to see the interested individuals join in effort.
“The Rotary Club of Saipan’s Skatepark Forum was an amazing success. I wasn’t really expecting the positive turnout or the support. The experience restored my faith in the idea that communities can pull together and make things happen,” she said.
Peterka said there was never any doubt about the desire for a home base among local skaters but that there was no way to gauge their commitment to the project until they met together on Saturday morning.
“We knew that the skaters want a skatepark, but what we didn’t know was who else in the community would be willing to help make that a reality. Let’s face it, morale is down and no one seems very confident about what might help turn Saipan’s economy around. Who’s thinking about parks and playing? The thing is that this project has been being mulled over and researched for nearly four years. This might make the timing of it seem a little less precarious,” she said.
Aside from giving skaters a place to practice, the project will provide the next generation the opportunity to learn about the complexities of working with the government and the private sector with the needs of the community at heart—something that the Rotary has been doing for years.
“After seeing the kids face-to-face, I learned that these kids need guidance. They seem to be willing to work for it, but have no idea how to get started. Rotary’s goals in the community include helping to get things started. It sounds like we accomplished that goal with the forum,” she said.
The drive for the skatepark continues today when the ollie advocates meet to discuss their strategy and progress this afternoon at 2pm.
