Planning with Monkeys

Tuesday night Warren and I took the monkeys to the Phase II meetings for the Mud Island Riverpark at the Botanic Gardens. I've been to plenty of these types of meetings in my day, but never with kids. Warren and I wanted them to be a part of the process so that (hopefully) when the skatepark is built on Mud Island they can look back on the meeting and say, "I helped get this built!"

I was really impressed by the turnout. It was great to see people from all walks of life and spanning several demographics all working together to come up with a feasible plan. And yes, it was most awesome to see so many enthusiastic skatepark supporters.

Somebody tell me where to get my Sk8 Mud t-shirt!


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Everyone was assigned a table and given numerous maps, office supplies, and their very own urban planner. Together we were tasked with designing our dream scheme for the island. There was a guy at our table who was a trip. His main goal in coming to the meeting was to cast his vote for a celebrity golf course. Oh, and he really wanted to see giant dinosaur bones somewhere too. For awhile I thought he was a RDC plant sent to throw us off and deter us from the task at hand. However, after lots of discussion, the dude was soon 100% on board with the skatepark. It was hilarious.

It should also be noted that most of the skateboarders were interested in linking the island to the greater downtown area as well as building playgrounds and splash areas for kids. If RDC listens (and forks over the money) Mud Island could be one amazing recreational wonderland for Memphians young and old. It's really exciting just to have this conversation.

Other highlights included seeing my old neighbor/skateboard enthusiast, Jeff Green, planning alongside Virginia Overton. I was also really impressed with the ease with which Jiro designed his very own skatepark.

If you missed Tuesday's meeting, but want to participate in the process, go to the meeting downtown tonight!

Thursday May 14th from 5:45 - 7:15 pm
MIRP Harbor Landing, 101 Island Drive (gate security will give directions)
Basically drive to Mud Island and go through the security gates. It's on Mud Island.

You can also give the project your input by going to the RDC's website and clicking Online Survey under Mud Island Public Meetings.