Thought I would post this up to see what the general peeps think. I was told by a person who helps out greatly here that he feels convinced that the city (Parks & Rec/ City Management) are basically set against me personally for running the BMX track/skate park/dirt jumps for this one reason. He thinks that because of the general condition of the building (inside and out) and the overall condition of the park itself, has no place in there plans for the new rec center facility. His opinion, even though he likes me and what I have done over the years to keep it going, is that I have never done enough or the things that the city notices (like the weeds around the fence being too tall or the sidewalks swept and the trash being non-existant). Of course my stance and response was (and is) that everyday- sometimes way before opening, I have worked on, rebuilt ramps, patched holes daily, rebuild the track after every large thunderstorm, picked up trash sometimes twice daily, upgrade new jumps, new ramps, etc......all done on only the funding that comes in from having to charge people to use the park. See, there is no budget in Parks & Rec to pay a contractor to supervise and do these necessary things to have the park viable. The biggest thing that the city and unfortunately I think, my friend do not see is that there is no possible way for one person to manage to succeed in doing all of the things here to do a job of literally the job of 3-5 people, compared to the extensive staff they have to maintain all the other fields and courts around town. However, I am not in any way making excuses (at least that are not legit), or crying foul as I did sign the contract. But, had I not signed what was presented- there would be no track, no park and no dirt jumps in Fort Walton Beach and nowhere in the country where there is all three in one place. I have been here everyday, 7 days a week, for almost 13 years.......never closed the park due to being sick, being out of town, or being late (ok maybe once or twice for 5 minutes). But those things apparently are not at the top of the list to have the consideration or viewpoint that some city officials have for me personally and this wonderful, unique place. What I do not understand is how the ones who put the things like pretty hedges, manicured grounds daily or a hygenically cleaned building to be the focus of a skate park and BMX facility ABOVE the things that really matter to everyone who uses the place. Things like a packed, safe, fun track to ride, a skate park (that while is obviously not the best like the megaplex concrete parks that bigger municipalities have due to a bankroll of taxes they can pool up to make one) that is fun, challenging and gets tweaked every so often so it is not the exact same layout year after year. A dirt jumping park where the guy running it lets the riders change up, design and build jumps to ride in the dirt jump park (currently being completely re done asap!). Someone who is one of the people that rides/skates out here because he is one, not just an hourly employee barking out rules to people, but someone who takes time to explain things over and over when problems arise. Someone who does not get paid by the hour- rather whatever comes in the door....after expenses........and rain means no $$ at all. So- in a nutshell, I know I have not been able to do every single job out here to the satisfaction of what city officials want. It is beyond one person. And to my friend- yes.....it is just little things here and there that some dont even require funding............but, if anyone were to follow me around for a week or a month, there is no way anyones perspective would not change from whatever opinion you might have currently to HOW IN THE WORLD IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE THE PLACE IS STILL ALIVE AND KICKING much less affording someone to claim it as a job that pays enough to survive (and I, like most have to have more than this job just to survive....which of course, takes away from my time and abilities here). I regret if I offended anyone, but it would seem now that even close friends that have other jobs and do things here (Please no that I more than appreciate what you are all doing! Without you, this place would not be here at all.....period), but the reality of what most do not see is what I do here when you are not here.......when you are at your normal jobs..........when you notice a coke bottle in the parking lot, but didnt even notice the two hours in the hot sun nearly every day working or fixing what I think are more important things that people pay to ride. I admit it. I am not achieving everything that could be done out here.......but I am killing myself trying to keep up with the things that have to be done out here. So what is the answer? Find somebody new? Even the Parks & Rec Director said there is nobody that could have kept it going other than me. Do we go the route that City Management proposed? Just plow down the track, move it to the north side of town and just have it open for USABMX racers once a week, then buy what around 120K worth of a concrete park that has no supervision or management.......that would be much smaller and less ramps then we have now? That place would be tagged up with grafitti, beer bottles and cigarette butts in no time without a manager there IMO. Or do we try, relentlessly to get them to see that with a fraction of the upgrades, with me here managing it with more users coming out and enabling me not to have to have a part time job, spending more hours here working- would be the simplest answer that accomplishes everything easier.........like the best days of the park when this was the way it was done. This way making it more possible to do up the pretty things with more of a budget and more time to do that in the mornings. Why would that sound selfish on my part? What are your thoughts? (Even negative against me...I will answer you with facts to consider.) If you want to just message me or comment, please fire away! -Bill Madden / ECDV
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 22:11:19 +0000
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