Ventura Needs A Real Skatepark!

VSIC Park Row Rebuild

Just off Ventura Avenue at west end of West Park Avenue lies one of Ventura's three public skate "tracks." All three tracks combined are under 10,000 square feet, over a decade old and constantly subject to disrepair and neglect.

The VSIC plan to rebuild Park Row consists of removing the substandard 3,000 track that sits just north of West Park Row Avenue and rebuilding the entire area into 25,000 square feet of skateboarding surface, actually continuing beyond West Park Row Avenue to include skateboarding area on the south side of the street, as depicted below:

In the above sample drawing, a combination pool sits in the north-western corner of the new park, and would look similar to this:

The rest of the skateboarding area would consist of street-like architecture that's both fun and challenging to skate as well as aesthetically pleasing:

Updates, & Thanks To Everyone For Go Skateboarding Day

Even though it was a week ago, we'd like to give a big shout out to all the folks who cooperated with one another to make the Greyhound Jam go down. In case you didn't know, on June 21st, skateboarders collectively assembled at the currently out-of-business Greyhound bus station on Thompson Blvd. One person brought a rail, another person brought a quarterpipe... Before you knew it there was basically a controlled, peaceful demo going on. In fact, it was so well-contained and properly organized that passing officials didn't seem to even look twice. Hopefully next year Ventura will have a legitimate skatepark to host Go Skateboarding Day!

We are still looking for some people who can go meet with the Mayor and/or members of Council. As stated earlier this month, I've recently minimized personal efforts with the city to focus on acquisition of 501(c)(3) status for the Ventura Skatepark Improvement Committee. At the time of this post, the application is about 85% complete, and I expect to send it off with the appropriate $300 application fee later this week. In fact, we already have our tax ID number - it's that official.

This is good news for several reasons. It allows VSIC to accept tax-deductible donations from private individuals and charitable organizations, and also gives our entire operation the extra air of legitimacy it needs. We have a few new fundraising angles for late summer. The first are the "Ventura Needs A Real Skatepark" awareness signs, 3 x 2, color signs available for $25, and each sign sold pays for one square foot of plaza. Also, I know you may have heard it before, but keep an eye out for 7 3/4 and 8 inch West Park fundraiser boards. Each board sold also pays for one square foot of plaza. Another way you can help is by direct donation here on this site.

In the meantime, if you've received the update and read this, do something! Call, write or email the Ventura City Council and ask them to consider allocating money towards the rebuild of West Park.

Rebuttals And Corrections: Usage Of Funds

Well, this might be the first time I've written a rebuttal or correction to one of my own posts. The decision to donate money to the Ojai Skatepark and Gavin Peters has been reversed.

Now, this decision did not result due to lack of logical support. Although I would certainly feel ethically justified to spend the money this way, perhaps not as much so from a litigious point of view. Surely, Ojai would in fact put the $1,000 to a skatepark that will happen this year or next, technically in accord with the stated VSIC goal of improving the state of skateboarding in the 805. And surely, another $1,000 would be converted to usable air conditioning for Gavin this week, in contrast to the 5-10 years it would probably take to benefit West Park. And the $500 we were going to pay Kurt to rebuild the site more efficiently...well, I'm not so sure about that yet, because it carries the prospect of raising more money for the cause.

But the bottom line is this: As much as I'll rant about the genuine lack of support from Ventura's skateboarding community (outside Five Points and a few other loyal supporters), it's that community this organization and myself personally have sworn to serve, and to disappoint them would be tantamount to pouring lemon in a badly-bleeding City-inflicted wound. I wouldn't want a single person to ever lose faith in me or my motives and say, "Well, I would donate, but you gave the last money away to Ojai..." In fact, that's the very same thing I fault Ventura for - giving Ventura's skateboarding money to some other capital improvement project.

So why the reversal? It's simple: I learned yet another bona fide maxim of political shrewdness, and that's the importance of precluding any potential argument your opponent might legitimately raise against you in the interest of personal vendetta or obfuscating the real issues. And there are more than a few people in Ventura's wine and cheese inner circle who I assume would gleefully support litigation against the Ventura Skatepark Improvement Committee and Chris Long, et al. They're the same people I referred to in yesterday's post.

So, now what?

Pay attention for our Go Skateboarding Day Fundraiser And Junk Jam, and look for the upcoming "Ventura Needs A Real Skatepark" decks at Five Points or any other place they might be sold. The first series of 100 decks will cost approximately $2,200 - but each series of 100 decks sold doubles the money in the account. By the time the first batch runs out, which I'm thinking will be quick, we'll have 4K, then 8, then maybe even 16! And when we get to that point, then we'll have enough to pay some architect $10,000 to draft a legitimate blueprint, since Ventura doesn't seem amenable to supporting its own here.

Buy one or more of these decks and you'll be supporting skateboarding through skateboarding, literally!

So The Truth Comes Out...I Am The New Rencher

For a few years now I've had an intuitive feeling that West Park wasn't getting rebuilt for no other reason than that city officials have a particular distaste for my writing. Today's phone call, of which I can unfortunately disclose no details, confirmed it.

So, to any deluded Ventura official who cites "personality conflicts" as the reason Ventura has failed to allocate even a single dollar to local skateboarding kids since 1996...

Your sandbox mentality is woefully immature and betrays any pseudo-appeal to public service.

I'm disliked, so the the skatepark doesn't get built? Now it's clear this issue is, and has likely always been, personal. Yeah, I might be a crank now, 10 years after the first time Mike Montoya told me they would get the skate "tracks" fixed. And sure, I use strong and forceful tone in my deliveries now, three years after Sharon Troll lied to us about providing the first $1,000 to the account, but crank always was not I.

See, here's the problem, pertinent city officials: I don't look worse with each passing day Ventura's bird bath skateparks rot and invite litigation. You do. And for any city official to propose "personality conflicts" as a legitimate source of inaction is to concede personal agenda and ulterior motives, which, last time I checked, were utter poisons to authentic public service.

Can someone who drafted a 240p. volunteer feasibility study, secured a match-funds grant in the amount of $250,000, and organized a town hall meeting that 40 citizens attended including then-Mayor Brennan...are those the fruits of an anti-cooperative bent? You're lucky I skate and don't surf, Brian.

We kept our bargain. We went to more meetings, met and dialoged with the architects responsible for the rebuild of West Park...we raised $3,000 liquid. The beaurocrats told us, "Jump through hoop X and hoop Y," then fail to reward our faithful obedience, so I tell it like it is. Besides, I'm just brash, opinionated and upfront, with zero tolerance for falsification of public records to preclude legitimate allegations of inaction. Contrary, this "new Rencher" (as I've actually been called) doesn't level ad hominems, and doesn't swear at City meetings or in print (at least prior to May 2008 regarding the latter). However, there are both similarities and differences between this author and Mr. Rencher. The main similarity is a mutual refusal to accept Ventura's wastefulness, delusion and personal animosity as acceptable grounds for community failures.

Such is the basis for the recent decision to donate our funds to a city who actually might use them (Ojai), a city that three months ago showed they cared about kids by starting the process with a $100,000 city donation, under the same state budget constraints publicly cited by Ventura as the reason for inaction. Way to go Ojai! To contrast, three years ago, Ventura's Parks Commissioners publicly vowed that if the skaters would continue to do work for this good project, they would contribute the first $1,000 to the fundraising efforts.

I'll win my battles either way, but I refuse to cater to political bullshit anymore. Keen individuals have expressed concern that my new direction of hostility might threaten the very goal I've worked 10 years to achieve. To them I reply that might be so.

Such are the risks of reporting the truth.

Public Notice Regarding Usage Of Funds

Hello All,

I've decided to spend most of the money we raised on three separate causes: Gavin Peters, the Ojai skatepark, and of course the Ventura Skatepark Improvement Committee.

1) Gavin Peters - This guy has supported 805 skateboarding as much if not more than any of us. Around 2000, our friend started feeling off and come to find out years later, the doctors now suspect him to have Lyme's Disease. At first the diagnosis was Multiple Sclerosis, so anyone in a similar situation be sure to get second and third opinions. We now know of three skaters who've suddenly come down with these serious neurological conditions; it could happen to anyone. Turns out this has been quite a fight, a fight that's completely removed the physical act of skateboarding from someone who loved it more than most, and a fight that's made the simple things in life more challenging. Of course insurance doesn't want to help a brother when he's really deep in need, and half the therapies and living alterations that need to be undergone aren't covered anyway. Long story short, we are donating $1,000 that will lead directly to the implementation of air conditioning for Gavin, THIS WEEK. Lyme's Disease gets much worse in the presence of heat, and Gavin lives in a studio in Ojai without AC, but thanks to his friends, not anymore!

2) The Ojai Skatepark - In the last three months, Ojai has managed to raise almost the full $350,000 needed for their new cement skatepark, utterly embarrassing Ventura as has every other city in the county. The reason they're able to do this is plain and simple: somebody in city government thought the kids were worth it; in other words, the Ojai skatepark has city support, not city lip service. Whereas Ventura ignores match-funds grants, lies to its children and prefers to bury the issue in meetings, the city of Ojai kicked down the first $100,000 for their park, under the same state budget constraints as Ventura, which was immediately matched by a local citizen. No meetings, no protests, no problem. We salute you, Ojai! In the snowball effect so typical of genuine community support, another local benefactor has again offered to match any donation to the Ojai skatepark up to $50,000. So, the Ventura Skatepark Improvement Committee is donating another $1,000 to the Ojai skatepark, which effectively becomes $2,000. Complain all you want that it's not Ventura, but you'll actually have something to skate next year, albeit in Ojai. As an Avenue resident, I wish it could be West Park, too.

3) VSIC Website - Our third expenditure is going to be approximately $500 spent on improvements to our website and database, via our trusty skateboarding programmer Kurt Braget who is doing the work for dirt cheap, and which will help VSIC campaign much more effectively until West Park is rebuilt.

Thank You All Who Donate, And Don't Lose Hope!

While we realize this is controversial and might piss some Ventura skaters off, the skaters who are complaining do not support what we do anyways, and people need to realize that for the past four years, this money has done nothing but sit. By donating to Gavin and the Ojai Skatepark, we are effecting change this week and this year - not another 10 years down the road which it will likely take The New Art City. Our commitment to local skateboarding cannot be stopped, so please continue to donate. We have some projects and new fundraisers coming up, including the Go Skateboarding Day Junk Jam/Spot Contest and our new "Ventura Needs A Real Skatepark" picket signs available at Five Points, 2787 E. Main St. The cost of each picket sign is $25.

C. Long's Rebuttal to Suz Montgomery

Okay Suz...which of my claims are not accurate?

Are you arguing my claim that you know nothing about skateboarding is incorrect because you stepped on one 41 years ago? Please. Anyone who knew anything about skateboarding would not defend Ventura's skateparks, and anyone who DOES know anything about skateboarding says they are the worst in the state, as Matt told you. Not only that, each have bona fide, ongoing safety issues that constitute very real liabilities. What if some kid slips in the water seepage and ends up with permanent brain damage because you people still haven't remedied errors made not by a legitimate skatepark contractor, but by an ignorant driveway company that built a shoddy park incapable of lasting 5 years let alone 12? Ventura would be exposed to a legal can of worms should their parents rightfully want to press the issue. Agree or disagree?

And are you really going to mislead the public again by citing budget constraints? International Association of Skateboard Companies board member Jim Gray provides an interesting point: "Our park cost $1,400,000 and Costa Mesa didn't even blink an eye. Nobody even mentioned that the skaters should raise the money. They saw it as city recreation from the beginning...The fundraising thing should only be necessary in the poorest of towns that can't possibly afford any type of capital improvements. I don't think that Ventura should be hurting for money with all the new housing that's been built there in the last 10 years. They should have a really good tax base. Why does the city believe the skaters should pay for it?"

Suz, I hate to break it to you, but Jim is correct, and again I can support my claim with public documentation. In fact, when I applied for grant money to rebuild West Park from the Tony Hawk Foundation, I was denied on two occasions because their internal research concluded Ventura was a wealthy community that could afford their own skatepark. Can I ask, then, why Oxnard, Fillmore, Santa Paula and Ojai all outshine Ventura in recent years? Why is Fillmore currently building a $700,000 skatepark while Ventura tells kids to have canned food drives? The answer is because in each case, the respective city saw their skatepark as a legitimate recreation need and gave money.

Just a few months ago, under the same California budget constraints as Ventura, Ojai gave $100,000 to their new skatepark, and right after that a wealthy local citizen matched it. Now they have almost $300,000 in under 6 months. Hmmm...do you see the pattern? City supports the people, people support the City. You did not support me or skateboarding when I had $250,000 secured, from somebody who is now an international television icon. Ever wonder how many episodes of Rob and Big could've included Ventura, boosting tourism through international media exposure, if only we would've accepted Rob's generosity and made it happen instead of ignoring the man? I dare you or any other city official to rebut this.

Secondary to the budget issue, which seems to be the unilateral fall-back justification for city inaction that you beaurocrats just love to hide behind, has the current fiscal crisis been going on for 10 years? Because the skatepark efforts have. I know the state of the fiscal crisis, Suz, which is why I resent being told to raise more money by ungrateful folks like yourself when I already raised $250,000 in 2004, when the budget was much healthier. This money was effectively ignored by the city of Ventura's then-Mayor Brian Brennan, Rick Cole and Mike Montoya in particular. Can you really dispute this claim?

How about Sharon Troll's bold-facecd lie? Can you really deny that she, acting on behalf of the Parks Commission which you also represent, did NOT in fact PROMISE to put the first $1,000 in the account? Again, please. It's in the public record.

You 'commissioners' don't serve us 'public,' and your distinction between yourself and the public only further supports my claim that you types see yourselves as above or somehow different than us 'public.'

The VSIC plan satisfies five of the ten General Plan Goals by utilizing pre-existing land, removing substandard projects and replacing them with ones that comply to code; the VSIC plan is in full conformity with the Gang Violence Strategy; and the VSIC plan is also conducive to the agendas of both the Ventura City Council and the Westside Community Council who seek to create a safer, more vibrant Westside with something for kids and at-risk youth to do. Do new palm trees accomplish this much? If not, why hasn't the City of Ventura allocated even one single dollar towards such a great idea? If you say on account of my brashness you contradict your stated motives.

Get real. And get us our $1,000 Troll promised. And figure out a way to get the $600,000 the West Park "skate track" rebuild needs your blessed selves, because you've all eschewed me to the point of near-complete apathy for anything that even remotely relates to Ventura. And unless you have something positive to add, or legitimate evidence in the form of a public record rebutting EVEN ONE of my claims, I suggest you refrain before you put your foot further in your own mouth and further justify the socially poisonous resentment towards Ventura held across the board by its 2,000+ skateboarding youth, and most of their hard-working, tax-paying parents.

And how about an apology to the 'public' for these failures?

-Chris Long on behalf of the Ventura Skatepark Improvement Committee,
True Public Servants

Public Response and Challenge to Suze Montgomery - Ventura Parks Commissioner

So one of Ventura's parks commissioners happens to be an older woman named Suze Montgomery who obviously knows much less about skateboarding, city history or basic human gratitude than your average disconnected beaurocrat.

My buddy Matt told me he saw Suze at Palermo, and that his off-the-cuff inclusion of the word "crappy" in reference to West Park literally jerked her out of her chair, causing her to raise her voice and lose composure publicly:

"On Saturday I hit West Park then went to the Farmer's Market. I ran into Suze Montgomery who I know personally. She asked me why I was sweaty, and I said because I had been skating our crappy skatepark. She fucking flipped on me right on the street, "We have 3 skate parks, other cities like SB and Camarillo only have 1, why do you people complain...blah blah blah" I guess she was and is on the committee for parks, and took it as a personal insult. I said there was no reason to get so worked up, but the fact of the matter is that I skate, and she doesn't, so how is she supposed to tell me what's a good spot or not? I also told her that the poor design, cheap finish and all the other factors not only make it a crappy park, but more dangerous to skate. I also told her that West Park got about the lowest park rating you can get on socalskateparks.com. She told me that the new West Park is already approved, so I asked her why the plans were not submitted to local skaters for review, and she said other than you (chris long) insulting them at meetings, nobody shows up...Suz even apologized to me and told me she would show me the ropes on making it happen..."

Okay. That's it. No more Mr. Diplomatic Guy. Last time I was in Ventura (4/20), I expressed lament over the death of the Ojai-Ventura Voice, and over the fact that I rarely get to hear Brian Lee Rencher defend the real will of the people against the Gang In The Ivory Tower. Why? Because these were two sources of non-biased reporting that, unlike Ventura County Reporter or the Star, remain free from the tainting of political and corporate interests. These were sources that, although not usually politely, would tell the truth about the "Gang In The Ivory Tower." To contrast, VCReporter seems unable to report on this issue. And I'm talking directly to David Comden and Matt Singer, neither of whom returned my emails in spite of the fact that sufficient progress has been made to rebuild West Park. Can I ask why? I wasn't rude and mad like this when I called you a month ago. And to the Star's K. Clerici, thanks for your help, I don't have much bad to say on you. Other than that you should take better notes if this was your error. If not I apologize pre-emptively.

As the observant readers may have noticed, the title of this piece is, "Public Response and Challenge to Suz Montgomery - Ventura Parks Commissioner." So, in the spirit of R. Ellis Smith, here goes my point by point response to Suze's lies. The challenge to Suze will follow.

1) Suze said, "Ventura has 3 skate parks, other cities like SB and Camarillo only have 1, why do you people complain?"

Wrong. Ventura has 3 "satellite skate tracks," classified by the official website for California skateparks as "similar to a sub-par drainage ditch." I put "tracks" in quotes because I have the city blueprints for all three and that's exactly what they say at the top. A "skatepark" is at least 10,000 feet. A 3,000 square foot, lumpy, water-seeping, poorly-draining, eroding, feces and glass ridden "track" is not a "skatepark," but a glaring liability, which is also in the public record. Just look at the sidebar on this site. While it is true that Ventura has 3 satellite skate tracks, what Suze fails to mention, because she doesn't know anything (about skateboarding at least), is that not one of Ventura's "satellite skate tracks" exceeds the size of your average hot dog stand, and we all know how the Gang In The Ivory Tower thinks about small hot dog stands. Parking lots and apartments are more important. Also, all three tracks combined still don't equal the square footage of decent skateparks in Camarillo, Santa Paula, Santa Barbara, Oxnard, Newbury Park, Ojai, et al. Here's the facts for any jaded beaurocrat operating under the pretense of knowledge: Not one of Ventura's "tracks" is over 4,000 square feet. Every reliable skatepark builder in existence today testifies that in order to be successful, a skatepark needs to be AT LEAST 10,000 square feet. All three Ventura tracks combined still do not amount to 10,000 square feet.

2) Suze said, "other than you insulting them at meetings, nobody shows up."

Friends, this is the absolute height of brainless beaurocratic chutzpah. Although it is agreed most Ventura skaters failed the call to speak up and attend meetings, along with parents and business owners many Ventura residents DID rise to the challenge, and Ms. Suze either forgets or is ignorant in the name of political expediency (I suspect both) that I have a record of the 30+ people who have written letters and the 40+ people who have attended meetings since the first one I set up in December 2004. You know, that one where Rob Dyrdek drove all the way to Ventura from San Diego and offered A QUARTER MILLION to the city of Ventura to build a street plaza, you know, that Brennan, Cole, Montoya and others let slip through the cracks. At any rate, the claim that I'm the sole attendee of these meetings is absolutely baseless; just about as absolutely baseless as it would be if I were to claim that Suze genuinely cares about Ventura's kids, or "skate tracks," or making good on the empty promises of her fellow Commissioners.

3) "Suz even apologized to me and told me she would show me the ropes on making it happen..."

This is where I absolutely flip my lid. So, Mrs. Suze, after 10 years of documented complaints, after 30+ letters from the public, after 40+ people have attended meetings about this issue, after Sharon Troll LIED to us in the presence of her fellow commissioners about donating the first 1,000 dollars, and, last but not least, after this author personally raised $250,000 dollars for the park....after all that, now Ms. Suze is going to be so polite to us poor, misinformed skaters, and "show us the ropes." Mrs. Suze, what might I ask do these "ropes" consist of? Forcing the skaters to go to MORE meetings and raise MORE money when we've already raised over 3,000 dollars liquid and a $250K match that Ventura ignored? After SeaBees folks offered to remove the old track for free? You want me to build the damned skatepark too? Or perhaps the ropes consist of how to loot over $100,000 from other public funds to fund the skatepark, much like the Gang In The Ivory Tower did under Donna Linderos, whose severance could've funded our skatepark? Naw, couldn't be those. The ropes must be smart things, you know, like repaving roads with tax money and having to go back because you forgot the manhole lids. Or maybe the ropes consist of putting new trees along Main St. with no irrigation. I could exhaust the list of wasted city money to no end. If you remember, of the original $250,000 Ventura allocated towards skateboarding, they spent $136,000 on our cheap, dangerous, outdated-before-they-were-built "tracks." Where did the rest of the skatepark money go, Gang? I know polishing ivory and dodging truth ain't that expensive, and I know tons of kids who get tickets at the Plaza Park Gazebo, funded by our skatepark money.

And now the challenge. I would like for Mrs. Suze to make good on the commission's promise to donate $1,000 to the rebuild of Park Row. I would like for Mrs. Suze, or any other parks volunteer or city employee, to rebut any of my claims made in this post or anywhere on this site, in the form of comments added to this thread. Let's see in writing the names or insults I raised at the meeting; if they are legit and unrelated to legitimate frustration, I'll publicly apologize in a heartbeat. I've already called Suze and told her about my challenge, so she is in fact informed, so any failing on her behalf to address these claims is not due to lack of knowledge. And I'll likely drop a note to the rest of the Gang as well.

The sad thing is, I seriously don't believe that any of our officials have the humility or decency to publicly apologize about that $250,000 and make this happen. How would they retain the appearance of budget concerns every time they deny Ventura's youth a real skatepark? When human pride disables an honest evaluation of the facts, appropriate action is denied. Now I might be a passionate, opinionated guy, but I feel Suze owes the skateboarders of Ventura and myself a public apology. I wouldn't mind a "thank you," either, for, can I point it out one more time, bringing $250,000 to the table that Brennan, Cole, Montoya, Suze and everyone else ignored.

And I'm the jerk around here...what a lie and a shame.

Can't Think Of An Appropriate Headline That Doesn't Contain The F Word

Hmmm....let's analyze things rationally here.

Last month, I spent ALOT of hours on the phone making calls, on the computer drafting flyers and graphics, and finding a way to fly 365 miles with no money of my own (thx Brad), all of that between appointments for collarbone surgery. My friends and I (thank you) set up a booth and passed out over a thousand flyers. To cap it off, we went to City Hall and spoke on behalf of skateboarding and the West Park rebuild, which has been APPROVED.

So what do I do? Come straight back to SF and make a post urging people to attend the next meetings, get involved, write letters to the city. How many responses did all that hard work and that post get?  Zero. Then, after a month of silence I make one short post criticizing skateboarder inaction, and VOILA! The comments come pouring in. Less than 12 hours later and I've already got over 10 replies, even though the bulletin said, "Do not reply unless it's to City Hall!"

Besides wondering how much better it would have been if these comments went to the city, what's a rational guy to assume? The apparent conclusion that people only speak up when they're about to lose something? Absolutely pathetic. Let me make one point clear - Ventura's substandard parks are not the skateboarders fault. Period. The city has known about the problems for 10 years. I raised A QUARTER MILLION for West Park and this is in the public record should anyone be tempted to defend city inaction. (thank you for efforts, Rob Dyrdek, a real skateboarder). I'm insulted Ventura expects me to do it again.

At any rate, here's some of the comments that have come in so far. I made no attempts to correct spelling or omit swearing:

"ouch...but, I get it. Its fucking sucks trying to get people involved. I am amazed at the lack of support and ashamed at all the kooky ass mothers who complain complain complain and did nothing. These are the same mothers who dont work, have mega $ in the bank and all the time in the world to get involved. :( I applaud you for your efforts. I really do. Im bummed....."
- Lindsay Streufert, Ventura resident, mother

"Eat a cold bowl of Dick! I didn't even go to the corruption hall meetings, but I did buy one square foot and you didn't even reply. I have to go wash my mascara off now." 
- Gavin Peters, lifelong 805 resident and skateboarder

sorry bro- I don't even live there anymore, one of the reasons is general apathy of the city.
- Ken Volok, former Ventura resident, photographer

"on sat I hit west park then went to the farmers market - I ran into Suz Montgomary who I know personally - she asked me why I was sweaty, and I said because I had been skating our crappy sk8park - she fucking flipped on me right on the street - "we got 3 skate parks, why do you people complain" - blah blah blah - I guess she was and is on the commitee fo parks and shit, and took it as a personal insult - I said there was no reason to get so worked up, but the fact of the matter is that I sk8, and she doesn't, so haow is she supposed to tell me whats a good spot or not? I also told her that the poor design, cheap finish and all the other factors not only make it a crappy park, but more dangerous to sk8. I also told her that westpark got about the lowest park rating you can get on so cal sk8 park list .com she told me that the new westpark is allready approved, so I asked her why the plans were not submitted to local skaters for review and she said other than you insulting them at meeting, nobody shows up"
- Matt Elkins, lifelong skateboarder, Ventura resident and MC

Editor's note: the next post will address Ms. Montgomery's lies, and also remind Ventura of the fact, also in the public record, that her cronie Sharon Troll LIED to us.

"Sorry for responding, but that fuckin sucks dude. I've failed many times and dedicated alot to my failures and I know how shitty it feels. I quit skating (doing tricks) in 10th grade cuz all my friends were assholes who would get mad cuz I was getting pussy and they weren't and they would spend their free time fucking up my little relationships behind my back; plus I couldn't nollie. Anyway, don't be bitter. Don't let them know they got to ya'. They are JUST skate fucks. Not that I don't think skateboading is the coolest sport ever. I do, on the contrairy. I love skateboarding, I just suck. I like video games, but I suck at them. I like watching other people do it though. Anyway, if I still lived there I woulda' threw down $25. And if every skateboarder from VTA did that, it totally sounds like a good deal to me, fuck you were hooking them up. Guess they were buyin too much weed or somethin, right? I don't know...but you sound pissed and I just think you should "never let em' see you sweat", brother. I did pull an impossible once or twice at the stairs at Ventura High, but I could barely kick flip. I could rail slide okay.   
- Mateo, former Ventura resident, one of C.Long's favorite writers

"dang this really bites i was really looking forward to this park but i guess theres always street spots to skate sure we will get tickets but sure beats the hell out of not skating or skating crappy parks"
-Giovanni, skater

"Didn't you raise 2,098 dollars? There you go,keep it. That's your pay. Think about it. Why did you move in the 1st place? Ventura county sucks! We fought for a park in Camarillo & won. But they ended up hiring some douchebags that didn't know shit about making a skatepark! I'm out of here pretty soon. Goin to Japan! Don't trip dude,you gave it your best. Peace out"
Marcel, skateboarder

"What meetings are taking place on the 22nd or the beginning of June? Are they mentioned on this site? Thanks for what you HAVE done, though Chris. "
M. Meagher

Editor's note: Ventura's mayor Christy Weir has agreed to meet any willing skateboarders. So there you have it - you guys set the next meeting up. Like I said, I got TONS of notes if anybody wants to step up.

cl