We, the undersigned citizens, parents, and skateboarders of Rosenberg, Texas wish to express our support for local youth by proposing the construction of a public skate park. Skateboarding is one of the most popular youth activities in the country, and its time that we provide the underserved skaters in our own community with a safe place to challenge and express themselves. During the past ten years, hundreds of successful public funded skate parks have been constructed in cities and towns across the United States. Not only have they proven to be statistically safer than a basketball court or a public pool, theyre also an excellent way to get young people involved in civic and community development. Young people need to have a sense of ownership in and connection to the community in which they live. A skate park is a great way to build such bridges. Rather than giving young people tickets for participating in a sport they love, lets provide them with a legal place to skate, the same way the city currently provides participants with baseball fields and basketball courts. By organizing and beginning to lobby for a public skate park, these young local skateboarders have already shown a great deal of initiative, creativity, and responsibility. Lets not ignore this opportunity to fulfill an important need and strengthen our community.