Dear neighbor, 

If you aren’t already aware, the Springfield Township Skatepark Association is trying to get approval for a 2,000+ square foot, concrete skate park to be built in Laurel Beech Park within the next two years. Those of us who live in the immediate neighborhood and will be most impacted by the changes to the park, deserve to have a say in whether this skatepark project happens or not.

Please keep in mind that disapproval of the skatepark at Laurel Beech doesn’t mean disapproval of a skatepark in the township, altogether. There are better locations that are more central to the township and/or less residential, like the empty lot next to the police station or the new Walnut Ave Park that’s being built in Oreland. Even Elephant Park in Wyndmoor has 3x the usable open space than Laurel Beech has, despite technically being a smaller park. We would love to work together with the Skatepark Association and find a good home for a skatepark in the township.

There are better ways to improve our park so that it will continue to meet the needs of the immediate neighborhood while honoring the county’s Green Space Program, which is the entire reason the park exists in the first place. An updated, ADA compliant playground, a splash pad and/or a community garden are just a few ideas. We’d love to hear your ideas as well (survey coming soon!).

 The main concerns are as follows:

• Laurel Beech Park is, by definition, a neighborhood park. It is meant to meet the needs of the immediate neighborhood, not the entire township.

• The size of the skatepark being proposed is far too large for our small park where so many different activities already take place. Comparable skateparks in our area are located in parks 2-3 times the size of ours. They are also lit, fenced and locked up at dusk. The proposed skatepark at Laurel Beech will be unlit, unfenced and supposedly supervised and cleaned-up “by the kids who use it.” 

• Congestion in the area is already bad during sporting events and will increase exponentially with so many activities happening at the park at once. Our tiny little corner of the township can’t handle more congestion.

• The loss of green space matters. Laurel Beech Park was developed as part of Montgomery County’s Green Space Program. How does replacing green space with concrete align with that initiative?

• The proximity to people’s homes. The closest property is located less than 20 feet from the park. Others are within 70-90 feet. Would you want a 2,000-3,000 square foot concrete slab built that close to your home?

• The look of the park impacts the appeal and enjoyment of our homes. The view of the playground and green space is a major reason why many of us chose to live here.

• Home values in the immediate neighborhood will likely be negatively impacted.

• A large, impermeable surface has the potential to cause more flooding issues than we already have.

• We will likely lose playground space. The township supposedly plans to build a new playground but if the proposed skatepark is approved, the playground will have to be very small because they are also building a new rec center and possibly a parking garage that will take up more space than the existing building.

• There are already 4 skateparks within a 3-7 mile radius of Wyndmoor, so demolishing our playground space and green space seems extremely unnecessary to appease a very small portion of the population. 

If you would like the township to no longer consider Laurel Beech Park for the proposed skatepark due to the reasons listed above or reasons of your own, please sign this petition. Also, please join us at the next Commissioners Workshop Meeting, where we can speak directly to the commissioners about our concerns. Visit springfieldmontco.org and click on “meetings” to view the meeting schedule. 

Thank you!