gafynandrew Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 http://www.shetnews.co.uk/news/944-council-faces-even-bigger-cuts-next-year.html Looks like things may get even worse up here next year. Unless you're into skatenoarding or bmx riding. http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2011/06/08/councillors-approve-100000-for-skatepark-project How can they justify closing perfectly good schools in their quest to save money then go and pledge £100,000 (or more as we all know will likely be the case) to a recreational facility that only a select few people will ever use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 Fantastic! about time, after 20years to finally get it put through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAStewart Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 How can they justify closing perfectly good schools in their quest to save money then go and pledge £100,000 (or more as we all know will likely be the case) to a recreational facility that only a select few people will ever use?1] The funding was committed years ago and taken into account in budgets since, this was just confirming it and the new site.2] The association already have £50,000 in their coffers, and have for years.3] The schools budget and recreational budget are different.4] If we spent money in the future based on the schools decision, we wouldn't spend a penny.5] The sport is larger than you'd think. It's not just skateboarding, it's BMXing, biking and rollerblading. We even have unicyclers! It has a good number of followers in Shetland and has in the past. A site enables these activities to be performed in an environment that is more safe and suited for purpose. It's a self fulfilling prophecy to say people aren't interested so don't give them a site. What was the state of squash like before the new Clickimin courts?6] We have raised £100,000 independently of the council and we will do it again.7] Skatepark facilities have positive economic and social impacts on communities. [1], [2], [3], [4], [5]8] Skatepark facilities help to reduce antisocial behaviour. [1], [2], [3], [4], [5] James (SSA Chairman) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 6] We have raised £100,000 independently of the council and we will do it again. James (SSA Chairman)then please do so again and allow this money to be transferred to another high demand area. Whats the difference between this and music tuition. it comes from a different budget but its still council/public money. buy some land and build it yourselves. it would work out cheaper and not be a drain on the public purse. It would also mean the users would become shareholders in the track and protect it from damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxFusion Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 it's hardly a splash in the ocean compared to what has been wasted over the years....good to see it coming ahead at last! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohanofNess Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 it's hardly a splash in the ocean compared to what has been wasted over the years....good to see it coming ahead at last! Exactly, would be a disgrace if they'd been kept waiting for 6 years then got told they were getting nothing because other budgets needed to swallow the cash up. I'm no sure if they'll be able to do everything paulb says though, I don't think Mr Stewart is a magician. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SJP17 Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 Good to see the skate park finally going ahead , if it keeps youngsters aff the booze and drugs , gives them something positive to do then im all for it , in this day and age its not a great deal of money in the grand scheme of things , and they have raised an impressive amount themselves so good luck to these Skaterdudes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme_Storey Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 I truly admire and respect the determination and stamina required to have kept the project alive for so long, and it is good to see that it will finally happen. To have raised so much money yourselves is astonishing, so well done! You deserve matched funding at the very least. As a Council Tax payer, I have no problem seeing some of Shetland's money spent in this way, to help with the venture, so that a whole group of young folk can enjoy themsleves for year upon year. Even at £100,000 I consider it money very well spent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 then maybe they should get the funding from the amenity trust. If the council were not facing what was it 20+million in cuts and they had a surplus then that would be fine however that's not the case. A skate park is a long way down the what we need list.Imagine if it was your house keeping budget that was having to take cuts. Would you then go out and buy a top of the range tv.It may seem peanuts to what our council has wasted (and it is) but each peanut added together soon makes a whole pile of debt eventually. If the other 100k is coming from government grants then that's even more reason not to do it. I have nowt against them having there park. I would be questioning any silly spending that the council are planning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unlinkedstudent Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 Can't help wondering ... did any money raised privately come from National Lottery grants by any chance or did they turn you down or did you not apply? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAStewart Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 The problem though, Paul, is that if you don't spend on recreational things, the island will become increasingly stagnant for youth development. Shetland's population is increasingly aging, and the council are going to have to find ways to retain youngsters in Shetland. This is not a peanut, but a carrot. Shetland has a lot of things to do for youngsters if you are into particular things, but these aren't the 1950's - people know about far more sports and now Shetland has clusters of surfers, parkour practitioners, BMXers... The alternative sports scene in Shetland is growing, and the council recognised this when they approved the skatepark. In times of recession, these kind of projects are an excellent and welcome distraction from negativity. As I mentioned before, there are economic benefits that accompany the project too. Do you think that Cee and Jays and Intersport sold more or less squash racquets once the new courts had been built? Furthermore - from my experience - skateboarders and other practitioners of alternative sports are very keen to explore. Many of my friends have probably skated nearly every single park in Scotland multiple times, almost as a 'ticking off the list' exercise. This potential skatepark - the most northerly in Britain - could gather interest among mainland skaters. Orkney's skatepark has been used for competitions with great success and so can ours be. It's a fantastic opportunity. Can't help wondering ... did any money raised privately come from National Lottery grants by any chance or did they turn you down or did you not apply? This is one of our next steps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinner72 Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 Very well put JAS. Contrary to popular belief, there is such a thing as spending to save, or what used to be called investing in the future. Unfortunately this council has been particularly poor in this regard, but hopefully this is a sign that they may be showing more common sense, if only it stays this way. I know it's a favorite rant of mine, but isn't it interesting that there have been so many posts on this bit of (pre approved, remember) spending, yet a few months ago when more than four times this much was approved out of the blue for yet another tunnel survey, something already done many times before and which will only serve to cost us yet more money with absolutely no return, there was barely a pleep.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 not true spinner. I think the entire tunnel project is a complete joke. I also think the marel is getting near a waste and sorry to say its design is rubbish. You have a very well designed museum and they then build that thing. why on earth did they not build a larger venue at the same time as they were building the museum and then they could have had a cultural arts centre. they could have even thrown in the library.In rossendale were I'm from they have converted an old quarry into a bike track. at the same time they shut ski rossendale one of the only tourist attractions there was. we have loads of sporting venues. with their 50k they should be able to make a decent track. they claim to have loads of members so lend them the diggers etc and let them build it. it would do the youth good creating something and it would prove that you don't need to spend loads for a good venue. expecting cash to solve there problem has delayed there idea. with a few thousand they could have bought a few acres of land outside lerwick and have had it built by now. good luck to them i just think there are more important things to be spending money on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SJP17 Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 Paulb Acres of land for a few thousand ? Where ? please tell me i want to buy some land ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seaflech Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 Why not spend £100k on a skatepark/BMX track? It's a fraction of what was spent to build the bowls hall at Clickimin, which appeals to an equally small percentage of the population. I dare say that if the skatepark was built then more people would get involved in it, so its popularity would only increase. Who knows, the UK skateboard/BMX etc championships could be held there in 2017 or whenever, which would bring additional people and therefore revenue to the islands. You only have to watch an episode of The Scheme on TV to see how desperate young people can get when there is nothing to do, and what with the well publicised drug problems Shetland is suffering, like SJP17 said above if it gives bairns something to do and a challenge to aim for then it is all for the better. I agree that in the grand scheme of things it isn't a lot of money, certainly compared to what has been squandered in the past.Never mind, in a few years we'll have so much money from the windfarm that we'll be re-cladding Mareel in new £50 notes. (Tongue firmly embedded in cheek.....) they claim to have loads of members so lend them the diggers etc and let them build it. Would you apply the same logic if a new care home needed to be built? I don't think Elf and Safety would be too happy for them to build their own park when it is going to be used by the general public. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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