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SI Live- 5050 Skatepark may soon be seeking new location

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The owners of 5050 Skatepark, the popular indoor skatepark on Staten Island’s North Shore, may soon be seeking a new location, blaming rising rents in the midst of major developments.

“We like the building, and the location is awesome, but the rent is ridiculous,” said Ed Pollio, who owns the custom-built 8,000-square-foot recreation center with partner and 5050 Skatepark founder Angelica Popolano.

The surrounding area is quickly transforming, with the opening of Urby, Stapleton’s new 900-unit housing complex — and the Empire Outlets and New York Wheel are quickly rising in nearby St. George.

“Since we first moved there our rent has almost doubled,” said Popolano of the 5050 Skatepark location at 354 Front St. — just a mile from the Staten Island Ferry.

NEW LOCATION PROPOSED

The good news is the skatepark owners already have their eyes set on a new site. Their vision is not a new one, as it is a concept they have had for several years now.

Pollio and Popolano would like to move their park to the historic, vacant hangar at Miller Field, and already have a 26-page proposal and renderings of their plans.

The historic hangar is under the jurisdiction of the federal National Park Service as part of the Island’s Gateway National Recreation Area.

The owners, who first brought their idea to the National Park Service (NPS) in  summer 2015, are just waiting for NPS to release a request for proposal (RFP) for the site.

“The current construction effort to save Miller Field Hangar 38 is underway and should be completed by the end of the year,” said Daphne Yun, acting public affairs officer for Gateway National Recreation Area.

Yun noted that a decision about an RFP will be made in 2018.

Borough President Oddo said he agrees with the owners’ plan to “reuse the hanger at Miller Field for active recreation.”

“5050 Skatepark, which is the city’s only indoor skate park, offers a unique service and would be a great addition to the facility,” said Oddo, who added, “Having new and increased sports opportunities on the grounds of Miller Field would encourage more young people to get active while socializing with others, which is always a positive thing.”

A POPULAR SPOT 

Will Kane, a 13-year-old Westerleigh resident, has been riding a BMX bike for  almost a year now. Heading to 5050 Skatepark each week is one of his favorite things to do.

“Everybody likes the setup there..the ramps are fun. They like to change it up a lot,” said Kane. “Sometimes they build new ramps and sometimes they move them around. It doesn’t ever get boring.”

The young biker said he’d be upset if the park moved to New Dorp, as it’s farther away from where he lives.

He pointed out that many “BMXers” are from the North Shore and some even travel from Manhattan and Brooklyn to the park.

MILLER FIELD LOCATION

However, Popolano pointed out that Miller Field offers a great central location in the borough and is close to all public transportation. The size of the location also provides many opportunities to expand the business.

She said she feels it would be a great place to continue to serve not only as a recreational hotspot but as multi-use facility for the borough.

“We already welcome schools….we do a summer camp, we host fundraisers, music events, art shows, auctions, community meetings, music videos, commercials, movies, birthday parties– we do everything,” she said, adding, “With a larger space, we can expand on everything we do already.”

Renderings done by 5050 Skatepark for the proposed site include space for a community center, live music venue, art building and World War I and II museum, in addition to the skatepark. The plans also include a computer lab and space for rock climbing, according to Popolano.

 

Read the Whole Story and more Here.

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/03/rising_rent_affects_5050_skate.html#incart_river_home

5050 Skatepark on NY1 August 31, 2015

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When Lil’ Wayne was in town to perform at the Billboard Hot 100 music festival last week, he carved out time to make a pitstop at 5050 Skatepark.

Stapleton native Method Man of the Wu-Tang Clan just shot his new music video here as well.

BMX bikers and NFL players have also stopped by. Owner Ed Pollio says it’s such a popular spot because they’ve got a unique appeal.

“Skateboarding and BMX is something building in popularity, so, you know, major stars accept that if I have this in my music video, it’ll help me reach an audience that’s untapped,” said Ed Pollio, Owner of 5050 Skatepark.

Pollio and his girlfriend Angelica Popolano opened the city’s 1st indoor skatepark in July 2012, after Popolano, who used to work for the parks department, noticed how popular the public skate parks were.

At first, Pollio didn’t think 5050 would last.  “It’s pretty cool how the community supported us & we’re still here after 3 years. We didn’t even think we’d make it a year. You know, it was so experimental,” Pollio stated.

They say a heavy social media presence has helped them grow. The couple splits the duties. Pollio builds the ramps.

Poplano takes care of the administrative work.

“I wanna do something good & it just motivates you, seeing when she does a great email blast. It just motivates me to, you know, build a cool ramp,”  Pollio chimed.

Those who come here on a regular basis say the skatepark has a significant impact on their lives.

“We’ve become best friends just by being at a skatepark. If it wasn’t for here, I don’t know what I’d be doing,” said Oakwood resident Aidan Snachez-Campo.

“I keep on coming back because it’s a fun place. I like it,” Stapleton resident Sebastian Brann added.

“We’re all really close here. We’re all like best friends, “said Anthony Cataldo, Hugenot resident.

Best friends with a lot of patience, as they watched me chicken out of going down the smallest ramp they have.

Pollio and Popolano say they’d love to expand. As development on Front St. continues, they’re anticipating how it’ll affect the park,

“It’s gonna bring a lot of people in. It’s gonna bring a lot of kids to the neighborhood and hopefully bring in more people who will learn about skateboarding,” stated Angelica Popolano Owner, of 5050 Skatepark.

Found it here

http://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2015/08/31/stapleton-skatepark-a-celebrity-draw.html

THIS IS NEW YORK- DNAINFO ON LOOP OF HORRORS

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6 Engagement Marketing Lessons from Successful Video Bloggers

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Write up on Featuring 5050 Skatepark co-founder -Ed Pollio.

By:

Posted: April 4, 2016 | Engagement Marketing

Share content your audience wants to see. Sometimes, participating in social media means curating content that other publishers produce or creating content that serves your audience—even if it doesn’t directly serve your brand. Ed Pollio is the co-founder of 5050 Skatepark, New York City’s only indoor skatepark. He maintains the park’s YouTube channel,which has become a large part of its marketing. Pollio uses YouTube to share content that speaks to his audience’s lifestyle and gives his audience a greater voice. This includes sharing music videos, content on BMX, skate, and scooter, and interviews of locals and other people supporting the skate park.

 

Check out the whole story here.

http://blog.marketo.com/2016/04/6-engagement-marketing-lessons-from-successful-video-bloggers.html

CNN Money – Story About Summer Youth at 5050 Skatepark. (Youth Employment Saves Lives)

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CNN Money Story

Having a summer job may not give kids much of a financial leg up for the future, but it does help keep them out of trouble, according to a study published this week.
The study, which tracked the wages, mortality and incarceration rates of 200,000 14 to 26 year olds who applied or participated in New York’s youth employment programs, found that participants who held steady summer jobs were not only less likely to end up in prison, they were also more likely to stay alive.
“We were particularly surprised about the mortality results: In essence, the program saved about 20 lives per year over the four years that we studied,” wrote the researchers, who were from the Wharton School of Business, the University of California at Berkeley and U.S. Treasury Department.
To determine the number of lives saved, researchers compared the mortality rate of those who were offered a spot in the summer employment program between 2005 and 2008 and compared it with the mortality rates of those who did not end up participating in the program, said Judd Kessler, assistant professor of business economics and public policy at Wharton. In total, they saw a nearly 20% reduction in the mortality rate among those who participated in the program.
“Those of us who have been in this field for many years have always known intuitively that the program, while only a six-week program, kept people engaged and out of trouble,” said Bill Chong, New York City’s Commissioner of Youth and Community Development, which oversees the programs the researchers studied. “What I think surprised us from the study was the long-term impact.”
However, working during the summer did little to boost the participant’s future earnings potential or the likelihood that they would go on to enroll in college, the researchers found.

Read the whole Story Here.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/08/14/news/economy/youth-employment-saves-lives/

 

Mass Appeal Write Up on Method Man Video at 5050 Skatepark

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Mass Appeal Method Man
Check out the Post here.
http://massappeal.com/method-man-ft-redman-streetlife-and-hanzon-straight-gutta-video/