How long before city helps with heat at skatepark?
Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark is so much more than a sporting facility. It’s an iconic Houston landmark.
Its location near the banks of the Buffalo Bayou and overlooking the downtown skyline has made the park an ideal location for people of all backgrounds to visit and watch skaters glide through the park. The park has been featured in commercials, film, countless social media posts and even, briefly, during a nationally televised sport.
But what really defines the park is its community. From beginner skaters to professionals, at-risk youth and scientists like me, we challenge and support each other.
On June 1, 2008, thousands of visitors celebrated the opening of Lee and Joe Jamail Skatepark. The park was the culmination of a Herculean effort between skatepark advocates, the city of Houston, Houston Parks Board, and visionary donors. Together, we raised $2.7 million, which was the largest sum of private donations ever amassed for a public skatepark in the United States.
For many of us who aided in this effort, it was a dream come true. At the time, Houston lacked public skateparks to meet the demand of a growing sport. Thanks to the group effort of people who believed in the value of a world-class skatepark, Houston finally could offer one. To this day, it remains one of the most popular public parks in Houston.
Right now, our beloved skatepark is in dire need of help. The park lacks adequate shade structures to protect park visitors from scorching summer temperatures. Just this week, air temperatures reached 130 degrees Fahrenheit near the concrete surface. Without adequate shade, hot summer temperatures can be deadly for park visitors. Sadly, this is not an exaggeration. Two summers ago, Marvin Strickland died from heat exposure while skating at the park during a hot summer day.
The tragic passing of Strickland should have been an urgent call to action, but after two
years, Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD), has not taken enough steps to improve the situation. As Houston experiences more and more days of extreme heat, the need for action is urgent.
Immediately after this tragedy, community advocates including myself, pushed for a comprehensive heat mitigation strategy that includes: shade structures equipped with cooling devices such as fans, additional water fountains and first aid stations located in key areas of the park.
During hot summer months, the surface temperature of concrete can be lowered by up to 25 degrees Fahrenheit with shade alone. These oasis-like structures will make an immediate difference in safety and overall park visitor experience, especially when combined with educational signs to raise awareness about heat exhaustion symptoms and the importance of hydration.
The parks department’s initial response was positive. Temporary tents were installed to provide relief from the sun, and we believed that permanent solutions were sure to follow. Even as of late last summer, with money donated by the Jamail family, the parks department agreed to commission a feasibility study to assess the scope and costs of the project. This study is an essential first step, cementing a vision for the project that provides prospective donors with a fundraising goal. Unfortunately, despite multiple attempts to contact city officials, the status of the feasibility study remains unknown. After two years of bureaucratic hurdles, nothing significant has taken place. No well-equipped shade structures. No first aid stations. No visitor education. Not even a feasibility study. Worst of all, there has been no communication from the city since early spring.
The lack of communication has hindered fundraising efforts, which are also aimed at fixing rough and cracked concrete skating surfaces and obstacles damaged after years of exposure to harsh Houston weather.
With tightening city budgets in today’s economy, Houston is losing an opportunity for the kind of public-private partnership that has set the city apart and that made this park a reality in the first place. At best, it shows a lack of vision and commitment to Houston youth. At worst, it indicates negligence. The families, youth and adults of all ages who visit the park deserve better. Houston deserves far better.
But we haven’t given up. We love our park. It has provided a safe place for Houston youth, hosting fundraisers to fight cancer, art and music festivals, and World Cup skateboarding competitions. The park has become a skateboarding destination for people around the world. Many of the youth who grew up in the park began a foundation called Developing Today’s Potential to give back to at-risk Houston communities.
As a community hub, it’s a model for the rest of the city. And if we get these shade structures right, they, too, could serve as a blueprint for other Houston-area sporting facilities — other places where, increasingly, enjoying the outdoors means risking your life.
We’ll continue pushing for changes for as long as it takes.