For 20 meetings spread over eight years, Shelly Stanwyck sat next to and worked with local skaters of all ages to contemplate features, designs and to research skate park specifics, such as the slickness of specific paints for the newly opened SLO Skate Park.
When asked recently about the project, an infectious smile revealed her passion for the community and the joy of completing a long term project.
The SLO native has been with the city in numerous capacities since 2000 and is knocking at the door of five years leading the parks and recreation department. She has served as staff lead for huge projects such as the Court St. project, and the parking garage at 919 Palm St., yet she still lists the skate park, and the community engagement that came along with it, as the most rewarding.
The parks and rec director (yes, the show is pretty close to reality) recently took a time out, talked about her first thought after a cancer diagnosis, how to successfully advocate and the value of introverts.
What do you most admire in other people?
All kinds of traits come to mind when I think of people I know and how they put these traits to admirable use professionally and personally. And there are tons of books about them that truthfully put me to sleep. At the end of the day, I really admire a wicked sense of humor. Someone who can write an excellent sentence that makes me laugh out loud, thank you Bill Bryson and David Sedaris; or my child who at 13 has watched way too much British sketch comedy on Netflix and slyly makes me giggle. This is the trait I admire most in others. For me, nothing is better than a well-timed laugh.
What is your favorite word?
Survivor. So the first word that popped into my head when I was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago was an F-bomb. I know, definitely not PG-13, but certainly honest. Fast forward to today and my current favorite word – survivor. For me it encapsulates taking nothing for granted. It encourages me and it reminds me to pause and savor moments each and every day while I live my life to the fullest with my family.
What is your perfect Sunday?
It’s a clear morning, no fog, no chill in the air and I can see the coastal ridge toward Pismo where there’s a soft golden orange glow reflecting the sunrise. As always, I am up early (I’m one of those kooky five hour a night sleepers), the house is quiet, and our lovable chocolate Labrador Gus gets the paper with me – yes I still like print. We sit down with a cup of espresso and read for a while. After my husband and son wake up and are ready to face the day we go play some tennis. As always we enjoy how hard we hit the ball rallies, trick shots, and lots of laughter. When we are done we go for a swim to cool down and eat some salad by the pool. In the afternoon we take the dog for a hike in the City’s open space and since it’s a warm day either the Felsman Loop or Reservoir Canyon are our picks for their shady respites. We conclude the day by having my parents, who also live in SLO, over for dinner. My husband grills and my son and I make a garden fresh salad and some other side dishes comprised of our home grown vegetables all this of course gluten free. We tell stories about favorite travels and travails and happily spend the end of the day together.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Extroversion. No, it’s not a virtue in the traditional sense, but boy is it overvalued in Western society in 2015. It feels like society has given this virtue more status than it deserves. Just think about all the reality TV shows and their extroverted “stars”. To me it takes away from some of the better characteristics commonly associated with introversion like being a good listener, creative, innovative, leader and having the ability to persevere.
Skate Park fans really rallied to show support and influence the City to make the park a reality. What advice would you give to other groups who want to raise grassroots support?
First of all if you have passion for something that is terrific and it represents an opportunity to get involved and make a difference. I have had the pleasure of being directly involved in or observing the success of many grassroots efforts here in San Luis Obispo. I can remember when passionate residents attended council meetings to advocate for the Railroad Safety Trail and Damon Garcia Sports Fields and how they each were ultimately constructed in response to the sharing of that passion along with some good old fashioned advocacy. Fast forward a few years later to the need for a skate park being identified by local kids.
How cool is a town where kids can come and address their City Council and be listened to and supported? In San Luis Obispo if you want to make a difference you can. If you have passion for something you can share it with others and inspire change. The same cannot be said in all communities and that is a shame. Some observations I have that may be loosely perceived as advice: be organized, have impeccable timing (sometimes an issue isn’t “ripe” or the timing is off, i.e. when it is not a budget year for the City), talk to professional staff and educate yourself about your issue and the governmental process, sit down with individual council members and discuss with them your passion, stay positive and polite even when faced with challenges or hurdles, all of these actions will help make for a successful grassroots effort.
Now that the Skate Park is open, what’s next?
That’s a great question. First, in parks and recreation we serve so many diverse recreational needs in the city. These range from swimming at SLO Swim Center to playing a round of golf at Laguna Lake Golf Course to simply swinging on a swing in one of our parks; there is always a recreational opportunity for most residents. Residents have identified new or emerging needs which include enhanced senior programming, lit tennis courts, a dedicated pickle ball court or two and a bike skills area. Staff tries to meet needs as identified by making modifications to existing facilities, i.e. painting Pickle ball lines at the Meadow Park basketball court and getting nets or planning for future capital improvement projects by writing reports requesting future funds for new recreational facilities.
All that said, there is one particular area of focus for the Parks and Recreation Ranger Service for the next two years and that is to assist in accomplishing Council’s 2015-17 Major City Goal to protect and preserve open space. In conjunction with the City’s Natural Resources Program, this is an area of top focus for myself and the city’s rangers (who I have the honor and pleasure of supervising). Together the two programs will complete a Master Plan for maintenance of the City’s open space, catch up on a lot of deferred maintenance – like trail heads, and build more trails for our residents to enjoy. Not a bad day at the office, particularly when it is in the City’s open space.