We have baseball fields and soccer fields and basketball courts. Why not a skateboard park?
That’s the question the Recreation Commission along with a collection of skaterboarders and their parents are asking. The group plans to pitch the idea to Selectmen later this month.
The proposal is to build a skateboard park at the Choate Fields at Woodward, a spot that is centrally located, as well as big enough to house the minimum 828-square-foot concrete skating structure.
In a report to Selectmen, the group backing the plan says building a park will provide skaters “a safe place to perfect their craft and to practice their skills.” The design and construction of the park would be funded through donations and grants.
Several towns around us have skate parks, including Northborough, Marlborough, and Hopkinton.
The Rec Commission is putting together a video to present to Selectmen at their meeting on June 16. If you want to help with the video, be at the Rec Office (in the Arts Center, 21 Highland Street) on Monday, June 8 at 3:30 pm.
(Photo by www.ericcastro.biz)
While I support this in theory, I don’t think the taxpayers can afford this type of burden right now. Unless you can find private backers, it really needs to be on the far back burner until things get better and department budgets get back to normal. And I do feel that an aerial device for the Fire Department and a new police station should be taken care of first.
I’m all in favor of a skatepark, but John’s got a good point – this may not be the right time to tap taxpayers for such a luxury.
Also, I’ve noticed a pattern with other public skateparks in the area. They are launched with a great burst of enthusiasm by the skateboarders and their parents, and for a time they are well tended and attractive. However, when that core group loses interest and moves on, the parks languish, fall into disrepair, and sometimes become eyesores laden with graffiti and trash.
If the town commits to a public skatepark, it must plan for the long haul to avoid this problem.
FWIW, I believe the plan is to fund the park through grants and private donations, not taxpayer dollars.
I have a question: does the original grant from the Choate family to the residents of the town allow this? The space at Choate Field is severely limited.
Would bmx bikers have access to the skatepark?
There shouldn’t be any restrictions i ride bmx so hopefully not haha