By Jill Bongiorni
Kris Mobayeni couldn’t even begin to explain how many times he and friends have been kicked out of public places because of skateboarding.
When they get kicked out of one place, it’s on to the next, and so the cycle continues, he said.
“Right now we go to empty parking garages at night, but only if security guards don’t mess with us,” said Mobayeni, a sophomore business major who regularly rides his skateboard from his apartment on Mission Hill. “I can’t tell you how many times we’ve been hassled for skating around places like the Christian Science Center.”
Amin Bachman, co-owner of Orchard Skatepark in Allston, understands skaters’ concerns and agrees that Boston and specifically Brookline needs more skater-friendly facilities. This is why he has joined the newly formed subcommittee from the Parks and Recreational Commission designed to provide Brookline skaters with more venues.
“Skating is an activity that so many people do, for instance, there are over 13 million skateboarders in America, but it’s inequitable with the amount of facilities available,” said Bachman. “The popularity of skateboarding demands some spaces to be publicly provided for them.”
Boston’s current lack of skater-friendy facilities has even led sophomore digital art major Eli Waimberg to stop skating all together.
“I live in Philadelphia and used to skate there all the time because Philly has a lot of open spots and public parks that you’re allowed to skate in,” he said. “When I came to Boston, I wanted to continue skating, but the streets are way too narrow. It felt like there was nowhere I could skate freely.”
The subcommittee, set to meet the first of each month, includes members of the Parks Recreation Commission and the town clerk as well as local parents, skaters and other skate-enthusiasts. They are currently drafting a proposal that suggests spreading skater-friendly elements throughout the town, rather than in one specific location. Bachman suggested “skate spots” and “skate dots,” which are groups of or one individual skate-able object, like a bench or a sculpture that can be set up in already existing parks. Dispersing these elements would eliminate price and noise concerns that would accompany building a new skate park.
“So far, the town’s been really supportive and interested,” Bachman said. “We’re developing a plan not to sell the idea, but to really allow the community to understand skateboarders and that this is what they do. We want the community to welcome this and celebrate it, not just tuck it away in the corner.”
Local skaters like Mobayeni and Waimberg seem to fancy the idea of gaining several new skater-friendly areas in which they will be welcomed and embraced for a change.
“Look at the pit in Copley Square, people go there to skate not just because it’s a nice spot, but because there’s always people around,” Mobayeni said. “People love watching them skate and the skaters love being watched.”
Although the project is still in its very early stages, Bachman said he is confident that if the proposal is approved, funding will not be a problem.
Orchard Skateshop has recently started its own charity called Extension, which will help with donations, as will other private vendors they work with. Bachman also said there are a myriad of charities nationwide that will help with obtaining grant money.
If all goes well, the subcommittee will present its work to the Parks and Recreation Commission in June.
“If they build a skate park in Brookline or add some skater-friendly elements to parks, I’d be ecstatic because I could go back to doing what I love,” Waimberg said.