Long a favorite spot for skaters in downtown Decatur, this bench area in front of the Decatur Medical Plaza (think: Nanston Dental sign) has some newly installed anti-skating devices (?) screwed into the marble, according to this photo taken by Daren.
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Any good skater will figure out how to work around that. In a way, it might actualy be a better skate obstacle now than it was before. Skateboarding isn’t just about long railslides and grinds. A VERY good skater could do a series of short grinds with hops over the metal things, causing MORE damage (since there’d be more points of impact) than a simple grind would have.
I’ve seen those there recently on my walks and were confused by their purpose. Nice to know
Reaming the cube.
+1
An unfortunate effort to drum up business?
These were about 10 years overdue . . .
Siv, I was skating those 20 years ago when skating kept me out of getting into serious trouble. And Jeff, yes, still totally skateable. Besides, someone will probably just remove them eventually, or cause even more damage to their precious ledges attempting to do so.
I’m not against skating generally – good exercise and, like you said, probably a better hobby than many others a teenager might get into. I’m just against skaters tearing up the property of others.
Yes, private property rules.
As in, “That rules, dude!” or “Remember the rules, kids.” ?
Regularly spaced metal tabs? C’mon. Obstacle should be more challenging to skateboarders so that it’s more like living a violent video game. Obstacle should be long and sharp so as to avoid being impaled. Or install a low hanging iron bar now and then so as to avoid being knocked unconscious. Where’s the imagination?
Hey you darn kids…stop getting all that exercise and quit having that good clean fun. Get back to your violent video games in the privacy of your own homes where you belong. And if you want to get around, do what every other red-blooded American teen does…drive a car. We can’t have your kind around here, because there was this one time when this one person was hurt by a crazy boarder. Keep off the street so we can go after the crazy bikers, runners, and out-of-control walkers who don’t look up from their phones. Don’t you know we’ve constructed one or two chained in prisons, I mean parks, where you can do all the damage you want? Go there!!
Not gonna work.
How much did that cost? How about fixing a pothole instead? How about a mobile app for Decatur to report things like potholes, non-working street lights, etc? Good god, they’re skateboarders… Don’t let ‘em scare you so much.
I gotta assume it was done by the property owner, not the city. Right? What do the potholes and streetlights have to do with it?
Already exists. Go to the City web site. It’s the first button on the left.
They were just getting bored with that wall. They’ll be thrilled to see it has been made more interesting.
I need to get out more. Any other recommendations?
Well, Scott, the point being that if taxpayer money was spent on something so ridiculous that perhaps that money could have been better spent. One would think that point was rather obvious, I suppose.
Dean, what is not obvious is why you assume this was paid for by the taxpayers. As Scott pointed out, this is most likely private property and the improvements therefore paid for by the owners. One would think that point of Scott’s was rather obvious, I suppose.
I just re-read that, and it sounded meaner than I intended. I was going for more tongue-in-cheek. Apologies for the runaway tone.
That is, in fact, what I was gettin’ at. If it’s private property, I couldn’t see why the city would pay to do it and if they weren’t the ones paying for it I didn’t see the connection to wasted tax dollars.
I think it was done by the Decatur Medical Plaza for the purpose of hurting the skateboarders so they can drum up a little business.
All this talk kinda makes me want to haul my vintage Hobie redwood skateboard out of the back of the closet.
Vintage Hobie Skate-in. It could be a festival. I’m in.
does decatur have a skate park?
There’s one in McCoy Park.
Most “constructed” skate parks are lame and boring for experienced skaters. The fun is in addressing new challenges and higher performance, not in repetitious patterns up and down the same old slopes and landings. As my son (an avid skater in his teens) pointed out, no one fails more often than a skater, and no one is more determined to overcome and excel in executing difficult maneuvers. I support this individual sport to the max. You may not think this is obvious, but it is definitely one of those “character building” sports wherein the individual is continually building in expertise and self-confidence.
+1
(nicely done)
Thanks for your supportive + … I have observed for all these years the difference in motivation and determination of skaters/flatlanders/rampriders vs. some of my son’s friends who had no such healthy activities in their lives. They mostly ended up sidelined in boring jobs and places. The “outrageous” skaters/flatlanders/rampriders ended up at West Point, Duke, etc. and have distinguished themselves in their careers. My skater/biker son is 38 years old now, and I couldn’t possibly be prouder of his life’s accomplishments. He still has his old skateboard and is into mountainbiking these days — his affection and devotion to individual sports persists, but he also plays on an adult soccer team, is active in local politics and business/recreation development, and has recently attained tenure at UGA. How BAD was skateboarding for him?
This was not funded by the City. This is private property.
The problem with kids today is that they have no respect – what with the Friendster and their Commodore commuters and being all hepped up on goofballs and such. It’s no wonder the Japanese own America now. These kids need to stop burning Americans and learn a trade.
I can’t stop laughing…..maybe it’s the goofballs.
Did they not want the skaters there for a safety issue, or because of the effects seen in the pic , on their property?
I’m a little surprised at some of the ‘no big deal’ feeling of the comments above.
If these were ledges on residential buildings, would this still be acceptable? Or would it then be seen as an issue of concern?
How do you decide which property is fair game to damage, and which isn’t?
The skaters are often there on weekends when the business is closed. I too am more than a little surprised at the lack of concern about the obvious damage to private property.
I’m with y’all! I admire the skateboarders’ daredevil skills, but not when it’s at the expense of other folks’ property. Decatur Medical Plaza probably felt they had to install these anti-skate devices to protect themselves from being sued in the event of an injury. It’s a shame it was necessary, that it looks ugly, and that some folks seem to be encouraging the skateboarders to keep doing their thing wherever they like.
So how often are skaters there anyway? I’ve never seen them. That wall doesn’t look damaged to me. In fact it could use some character.
I have seen skaters there, last time was maybe 3 months ago! I walk by that spot probably 4 times a day, every day. There may be unintended consequence here. I think this will make the spot more of a challenge, encouraging more challenge to authority. That is always good!
Hmmm. Not having much skateboarding in the family, I’ve ignored this issue until realizing that there’s a colliding of two important principles: 1) That children/teens should be encouraged to do activities that keep them active, outside, and challenged: and 2) That other people’s property be respected. It’s discouraging, after all the energy put into McKoy Skate Park, to hear that it is not adequate for the avid skater. Solutions:
– Is there any way to improve McKoy or other parks so that avid skaters would be challenged enough?
– Are there some structures that are not damaged by skaters that they could use without ruining public and private steps, curbs, etc.?
– Is there some modification to skates and skateboards that would keep them from damaging stone, concrete, marble, granite, etc.?
Sure hope there’s a solution out there because I suspect that some teens will skateboard no matter what and I cannot blame a homeowner, business, or government entity for objecting to property damage.
Poor little misunnerstood sk8tr boies…where’s Avril Lavigne when you need her???
Slow day at work, Cuba?
Actually listening to a webinar for most of the day…’tis excruciating…
This corner is out my office window. I have watched the skaters there and admired the healthy aspects of what they are doing and I have watched other people trying to clean all the black marks off the white stone. The skating really does damage the wall, both by leaving marks and by wearing down the edges. Additional wear happens when they try to clean up the marks. The new metal bits they have recently installed are also ugly and could be viewed as damage to the wall. I too wish for a solution like a new generation of less damaging skateboards or more good places for skateboarding. Perhaps builders could also consider choosing materials that are not so easily damaged by skateboards.