Albany, GA has seen a decline in visitors, commerce, and overall life quality of its citizens. One place that has been drastically affected is the Albany, GA River Skatepark; A name that was once known throughout North Georgia to South Florida. Action sports enthusiasts would come from far and wide to visit our beloved skatepark; which is just now beginning to see a rise in visitors once again.

The River Skatepark used to be an escape from violence, boredom, addiction and other bad habits or situations. Now drug remains, inappropriate graffiti, and even human feces can usually be found within the fences of the park. Locals have been attempting to keep the park maintained with their own time, money and effort while the city sits idley by and lets our beloved park rot. No trash pick-up after the cities tenants moved out, strange smells, litter cluttering every corner, no-body checking on this property in the heart of downtown albany; it's honestly unexcusable. 

As of recently, our skatepark is being threatened with even more damnation. There are talks of the city tearing it down to build a bridge and "possibly" relocating the park. Many Albanians (myself included) grew up, some were raised, and some just had some of the best memories of their lives there. Us as a community feel overlooked. 

The City of Albany, being one of the larger cities in GA, is highly populated and receives commerce from many surrounding areas. 

I propose a revamp/expansion of the skatepark.

• An expansion would likely do the skatepark a-lot of justice. While the current obstacles are fun and enjoyable, its simply not up to par with the other large (and even some small) cities in GA. Expanding or adding-on would likely bring even more skaters and overall happiness to the community.
• Increased monitoring in the area to cut down on crime, seeing to it that it’s safer for families and small children to enjoy theirselves in the skatepark. 
• A cleanup program to remove constant trash and debris would create a more welcoming and healthy environment. This should have already been put into place, as it's pretty basic.

Reasoning:

Local skaters feel as if the city has forgotten about them. Showing that the city cares would urge them to take better care of what has been given to them. Once Albany commits to keeping a nice skatepark, the public that uses the facilities will feel safer and more likely to visit again. I hope that you consider these arguments, as we all look towards a better future for The City of Albany, GA!