Fourteen-year-old Austin Lee wants a place where skateboarders can feel naughty in an atmosphere that looks nice.

So the St. Cloud teen brought his skate plaza idea to Mayor Dave Kleis in July. He wanted to create a safe place for skateboarding that didn't disrupt businesses.

"He didn't ask the city to build the plaza for him," Kleis said. "He said he would help the city build a plaza."

Four months later, Lee's efforts are coming to a head. At a public meeting Nov. 28, Lee and local leaders will gather input and ideas about the project to find out what people would want in a skate plaza.

Kleis said the plaza could possibly be located near Lake George.

"It makes sense for it to be in an urban setting," Kleis said.

Lee said work on a preliminary design will be started at the Nov. 28 meeting.

"It won't be just metal ramps," he said. "It will look like a park to skate, not a skate park."

A representative of Site Design Group Inc. will be present to offer ideas and information. Site Design, with offices in Arizona and California, is an international planning, design and construction firm that specializes in skate parks and sport facilities. Site Design would assist local architects with plans and development.

After the meeting, Lee will continue to work with Site Design on design and cost details.

Several public skateboarding areas have failed locally in recent years, usually because they were too small and lacked challenging equipment.

Stretch Thomes operates what he says is the longest-running skate park in the St. Cloud area.

Thomes opened Stretch's Street Park, a private skate park, with his brother in 2003 in Waite Park. Thomes said supervision is what keeps the business running.

"We're hassle-free," Thomes said. "The best skaters and the worst skaters have to get along."

Some skaters use Raymond Park on the East Side, but the park only is equipped with ramps and is not centrally located.

Lee said he skates anywhere with good stairs and rails, but St. Cloud State University and downtown areas are most popular.

Determination

Lee has made a lot of progress in four months. The mayor appointed the Apollo High School freshman to a position on the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, making Lee the youngest person to serve in the St. Cloud government.

Lee also received city approval and support to develop a private fundraising effort for the plaza.

His work has earned him acclaim outside of the Central Minnesota. He an was ABC World News Person of the Week in October.

"He's a very aggressive young man who's done a lot of homework," Kleis said. "We need the perspective of a user."

A skate plaza incorporates more than asphalt and cement ramps. Art, sculptures, stairs, rails and benches are designed to be appealing to the eye and safely skateable.

Right now, skateboarding is the third most popular sport nationwide for ages 6 to 18, according to the Skate Park Association.

"Whether or not skateboarding is popular 70 years from now, the skate plaza is designed to be beautiful," said Charlotte Lee, Austin's mother.

She said talk of the plaza fills her household every day.

Her son writes to business executives and works to get funding. She said he wants to be able "to skate with the downtown vibe."

"The allure is that it feels naughty to be skating on public property with flower boxes and color," she said.

Benefits

Charlotte Lee said skaters don't want to disrupt businesses and pedestrians.

She knows some — her son included — who have been asked to leave popular areas in downtown St. Cloud such as the St. Cloud Civic Center and Bremer Bank.

"Being talked to by the police is not OK in our household," she said. "But skaters aren't trying to get in trouble."

Kleis said he's met with a lot of business owners who are "thrilled" with the idea.

For health professionals interested in keeping children active, skateboarding offers exercise and recreation.

Lee said from a mother's standpoint, a park offers entertainment for an individual or a group.

"You don't have to have a team," she said.

She also supports the project as a resident of St. Cloud.

"I'm a taxpaying citizen," she said. "I don't want kids damaging normal benches in the park."

In travels to other skate plazas, Lee always sees at least 30 skaters, no matter what the weather is like.

Sometimes there are 100 or more.

"Look at a baseball field and it's empty, but a skate park is packed," she said.

Looking ahead

Upcoming meetings with the Parks and Recreation Board will help answer questions of when, where and how much.

Austin Lee said 250 skateboarders are on his mailing list, and he expects a majority of them to be at the public meeting.

The mayor said such projects generally cost $500,000 to $750,000.

Kleis said a fund at the Central Minnesota Community Foundation is accepting donations to build the plaza.

"I am confident that this will happen," Kleis said.