https://skate.pullias.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Beyond-The-Board-Findings-From-The-Field.pdf

Hello community, my name is Ryan Beierschmitt and I am a novice skateboarder. With its addition into the summer Olympics, skateboarding is becoming more popular and important as a recognized sport. However, the lack of locations for people to enjoy the sport safely are few and far between.

Our community is in need of a local place for both youth and adults to skateboard, scooter, roller skate, and roller blade. Ideally this would be easily accessible to everyone in the community, and as a result would protect not only those engaging in the sport, but also pedestrians and drivers.

Derry township located in Hershey Pennsylvania once had a skate park but it was removed in 2019. As a result, some youth skateboarders with nowhere else to go have been riding on streets, causing a danger to themselves and drivers on the road.  While there is one skatepark in the extended area, located in Steelton PA, this is not accessible to skateboarders who cannot drive. Additionally, due to the lack of other skateparks in the area it is prone to overcrowding.

I believe that a skatepark/action park in Derry Township could benefit the community many ways.

Statistics show being active and social not only helps with ones physical health but also mental health. I will attach a very insightful resource to this petition about a study done by the University of Southern California, which was funded by the Tony Hawk Foundation. The study talks about why skateboarding is great for physical and mental health and how beneficial parks are for youth in communities to have a place to express themselves in ways that aren’t just organized sports. 

With having a skatepark it can reduce damage to private/public property. It can have a positive economic impact with the possible addition to adding a skate shop to fulfill the needs of the people that would be using the park. There would be more additional draw for tourists who may be looking for a reason to stay in Hershey vs a neighboring area.

Looking at it with an even bigger picture with goals in mind like having special events at the park to draw even more people into the sport. Giving local businesses the opportunity to help sponsor events and become even more involved with the community.

The goal would be to have a professional concrete skatepark builder execute the job so it is made to last a long time with minimal upkeep. This park would be 100% open to the public and no waivers would need to be signed so staffing would not be necessary. 

This petition acts as my first step to bringing light to an area where we can better serve the youth in our community, by providing a safe and accessible environment to skateboarders. In signing this petition, we can show not only the interest in, but the necessity of,having a skatepark/action park in our community.