We, the undersigned citizens, parents, skateboarders, and bikers of Grand Ledge, MI, wish to express our support for our local youth by proposing the construction of a local Skateboard and BMX Bike park. Not only are skateboarding and biking an excellent way to get young people active physically, they have been proven to be statistically safer than baseball, basketball, and football. Skateboarding and biking are two of the most popular youth activities in the country, and it is imperative that we provide the underserved skateboarders and BMX bikers in our community with a safe place to challenge and express themselves.

During the past several years, hundreds of community funded skate and bike parks have been successfully constructed in cities and towns across America. We have an excellent opportunity to teach our current youth how to become involved in civic and community development through a skate and bike park project of our own. Young people need to have a sense of ownership in, and connection to, the community in which they live. A skate and bike park is a great way to build such commitment. Rather than force young people to risk getting punished or hurt in public places for participating in a sport they love, lets provide them with a legal place to skate and bike, the same way the city and county currently provide basketball courts, baseball fields, and running trails.

By beginning to lobby for a public skate and bike park to our parks department and participating in fundraising events, our local skateboarders and bikers have already shown a great deal of initiative, creativity, and responsibility. Lets not ignore this opportunity to fulfill an important need and strengthen our community.