Teens, parents seek city skate park

By GUY PRIEL

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Seeking a place away from general traffic areas for teenagers to go to practice their skating talents and hone their skills, residents took the first step toward organization Thursday night.

Approximately 60 parents and teenagers gathered in council chambers for an informational meeting designed to sow the seeds of official organization of a skate park committee.

"I have seen the need for a good park where skaters can go and I have noticed the frustration when they keep getting kicked out of places," Council Member Ron Fleischmann said.

Adequate facilities can prevent skaters from causing damage to other park areas and structures, while allowing a controlled facility designated for that purpose, he said.

"It all comes down to funding," he said. "Basically, the city will not build this facility for you."

The best chance for development of this type of park would be for an outdoor facility to begin with, because it requires a much smaller budget than an indoor facility would. It should also be built out of concrete, because it requires little maintenance.

"Getting this type of park built is part of (the users) responsibility," Fleischmann said. "Adults are needed to organize it, but teens are the energy behind it. You need to design a park that is safe and fun. And you will also have to do some fund raising to make it happen."

Finding a location for a skate park is not the concern, because there is city land available, but accessibility is the main issue. It also needs to be located on a fairly flat area, he said.

"The city has the land, it just depends on how committed the teens are to having this park," he said. "We've been good about banning skaters from the parks, now we need to get them involved."

Because insurance is a major concern, the city is looking at a park with a ramp less than three feet high that will not require fencing, supervision, or additional premiums. Fleischmann said.

"The preferred option is give you the land and let you run it," he said. "Users will supervise the park and teach younger ones to use it properly as well, so it can be enjoyed by every one. Your ownership is important."

The problem now is that police officials tell skaters they can't use German Park, or the mall parking lot, but are unable to provide any options for where they can go, he said.

The process begins with a commitment of land from the city. Then, the parents need to organize, design the park, raise money and hire the contractor, similar to what happened when the BMX group was organized.

"Fund raising won't work without parents being involved," Fleischmann said. "With organization, there can be community support for this."

Those interested should not let the lack of funding discourage them, because there is not much money involved in the process and there are a variety of fund raising projects that can be undertaken, Council Member Clark Tuttle said.

"You have a good start here tonight," he said. "This opens my eyes wide. the parents vote and there is apparently an interest here. When we educate then the strong survive."

Teenagers should not let what they feel the city should do for them stand in the way of doing what they know they have to do, he said.

In the meantime, discretion needs to be exercised regarding places where skating and skateboarding is prohibited, Tuttle said.

"What he is trying to say is that if you go to German Park you will screw this up and it will destroy what we want to do," one local resident said. "If you want the people to donate, then stay out of their park."

Another issue that needs to be considered is how the teenagers present their case, whether in public forums or in the media, because that is what people will judge them on, Fleischmann said.

"Police yourselves," he said. "Letters of complaint to the newspaper will not solve the problem. This cannot happen without the parents."

The group will meet again 5 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2.