East Auckland is one of the largest and fastest growing parts of Auckland, yet we lack some basic facilities. When it comes to parks and recreation, what we do have is often too small or desperately out of date. Lloyd Elsmore Skatepark isn't just outdated, it's dangerous.
In the park on Tuesday I heard horror stories of injuries sustained, including glass in head wounds. Other parents refused to let their children use it, driving them to Barry Curtis or even into the city instead. Neither is acceptable - we need to do something with Lloyd Elsmore.
While not a skater myself, I know the difference a decent skatepark can mean. Some of this is because I've seen the success in other parts of Auckland (eg Birkenhead, Wellsford, Papakura Glenfield, Waiuku). I've also spent a lot of time talking to locals about this issue - families, parents and young people all asking for somewhere safe to skate. The request isn't unreasonable and council openly admits it hasn't done enough to maintain the park, getting distracted with other projects.
Funding comes down to priorities, driven by public demand. And there's plenty of demand - last year we got thousands of signatures asking for a solution, but still nothing. Since then we've been working to build more support and I'm happy to throw my voice behind this latest push to get it sorted.
One of the gaps has been the lack of collective voice - so locals are organising to make sure their voices are heard. Your support is welcome at www.facebook.com/refurblloydelsmore