Post by bermshot on Jul 22, 2006 15:16:37 GMT -5
Google alerts sent me this link:
pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/060720skate.shtml
Skateboarding advocates worry that Portland won't have a new skate park built by the time development plans on Marginal Way close the city's existing park next year.
The skate park is on land that the city recently gave to the state in a real estate deal that's part of Portland's effort to redevelop the Bayside neighborhood. Several projects are planned in the area, and the park must be removed by next summer.
Parks and recreation officials have met several times during the last year with local skateboarders, bikers and in-line skaters. They recently narrowed the search for a new skate park location to Dougherty Field, between St. James and Douglass streets, and Payson Park, between Baxter Boulevard and Ocean Avenue, said Thomas Civiello, assistant director of parks and recreation.
Still, the City Council has yet to tackle where a new skate park should be built and how much should be spent on it. The council's health and recreation committee is expected to take up the issue this fall, said Councilor Donna Carr, committee chairwoman.
Once city officials choose a location, it's expected to take several months to design and build the park that skaters have in mind. Barring private contributions and donations of labor and materials, a poured-concrete skate park could cost taxpayers as much as $250,000.
"That park will be gone and a lot of people will be upset," said Eli Cayer, a real estate broker and skateboarder who has helped to raise $12,000 toward construction of a new skate park.
Carr acknowledged that a new skate park may not be built before the existing one closes, partly because choosing a new location has grown controversial. "There's a lot of not-in-my-district going on," she said.
Carr said it's important that a new skate park be high-quality and safe. She wants to improve on the existing park, which consists of a few wooden ramps on a paved parking lot. She plans to study other municipal skate parks, including those built or planned in Oxford and Lewiston.
However, Carr questions how large Portland's park should be and whether it should serve people outside the city. The city is conducting an assessment to find out what Portland residents want from parks and recreation programs.
"I don't personally feel the need to provide a premier facility," Carr said. "We need a facility that's going to be useful to Portland residents."
Carr said she is open to having a skate park at Dougherty Field, within her district, as long as residents near the field wouldn't be affected negatively.
Councilor Cheryl Leeman, who represents the Payson Park district, said she questions whether neighbors would be receptive to a skate park there and noted the financial, public safety and liability concerns of having a skate park anywhere in the city.
Some skaters say Dougherty Field is a good location. They also want to make sure city officials support a proposal that ensures a good design and a well-built park that will last and be safe and enjoyable.
"You have to do it right or it could be a negative thing instead of a positive," said Ryan Sabol, co-owner of Ride 207, a skateboard shop in Woodfords Corner.
Staff Writer Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at:
kbouchard@pressherald.com
pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/060720skate.shtml
Skateboarding advocates worry that Portland won't have a new skate park built by the time development plans on Marginal Way close the city's existing park next year.
The skate park is on land that the city recently gave to the state in a real estate deal that's part of Portland's effort to redevelop the Bayside neighborhood. Several projects are planned in the area, and the park must be removed by next summer.
Parks and recreation officials have met several times during the last year with local skateboarders, bikers and in-line skaters. They recently narrowed the search for a new skate park location to Dougherty Field, between St. James and Douglass streets, and Payson Park, between Baxter Boulevard and Ocean Avenue, said Thomas Civiello, assistant director of parks and recreation.
Still, the City Council has yet to tackle where a new skate park should be built and how much should be spent on it. The council's health and recreation committee is expected to take up the issue this fall, said Councilor Donna Carr, committee chairwoman.
Once city officials choose a location, it's expected to take several months to design and build the park that skaters have in mind. Barring private contributions and donations of labor and materials, a poured-concrete skate park could cost taxpayers as much as $250,000.
"That park will be gone and a lot of people will be upset," said Eli Cayer, a real estate broker and skateboarder who has helped to raise $12,000 toward construction of a new skate park.
Carr acknowledged that a new skate park may not be built before the existing one closes, partly because choosing a new location has grown controversial. "There's a lot of not-in-my-district going on," she said.
Carr said it's important that a new skate park be high-quality and safe. She wants to improve on the existing park, which consists of a few wooden ramps on a paved parking lot. She plans to study other municipal skate parks, including those built or planned in Oxford and Lewiston.
However, Carr questions how large Portland's park should be and whether it should serve people outside the city. The city is conducting an assessment to find out what Portland residents want from parks and recreation programs.
"I don't personally feel the need to provide a premier facility," Carr said. "We need a facility that's going to be useful to Portland residents."
Carr said she is open to having a skate park at Dougherty Field, within her district, as long as residents near the field wouldn't be affected negatively.
Councilor Cheryl Leeman, who represents the Payson Park district, said she questions whether neighbors would be receptive to a skate park there and noted the financial, public safety and liability concerns of having a skate park anywhere in the city.
Some skaters say Dougherty Field is a good location. They also want to make sure city officials support a proposal that ensures a good design and a well-built park that will last and be safe and enjoyable.
"You have to do it right or it could be a negative thing instead of a positive," said Ryan Sabol, co-owner of Ride 207, a skateboard shop in Woodfords Corner.
Staff Writer Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at:
kbouchard@pressherald.com
