It seemed like a good idea at the time, some years back, as Montville Parks and Recreation commissioners and some town volunteers proposed to put in a skateboard park in town. The idea was to give youth a safe place, off town roads, parking lots, and other paved surfaces, to skateboard.
Although the commission has had a line item of $15,000 in funds set aside for a skate park, starting with the 2003-04 town budget cycle, according to Terry Fafard, Montville’s finance director, the funds haven’t been spent. These funds were not enough to cover the total project costs, though. “No Skateboarding” is still the policy at
Camp Oakdale, one of the sites that has been under consideration for a skate park. The closest town-sanctioned skateboard parks are in Norwich and Groton, according to Jim Butler, Parks and Recreation Department director.
The commission wants to know if there is still enough interest by town residents to proceed with a skateboard park, so it has put the topic on the agenda for its monthly meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 19, at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers, first floor, at Montville Town Hall.
“Safety is the main concern,” Butler said. “Kids shouldn’t be skateboarding on the road, but a lot of them are. We want to get them into a safe environment.”
There are two sites under consideration, according to Butler. The old tennis courts in the rear of Camp Oakdale would provide lighting for extended evening hours and access to the existing bathrooms, but the old asphalt needs to be taken out and proper drainage put in. He said there currently aren’t other plans for that space.
It would cost roughly $80,000 to rip out the asphalt, install an underpipe for the drain, and rock over the drainage area, according to Donald W. Bourdeau, Jr., Public Works director. That doesn’t include installing the skating surface.
Fair Oaks School is another possibility, Butler said, but no determination has been made yet as to exactly where on the grounds.
Although Connecticut does not mandate that skateboarders wear helmets, as required by bicyclers, helmets and protective gear are recommended.
Butler said he and Mayor Joe Jaskiewicz had attended a state workshop put on with an insurance company where questions regarding safety, insurance, and liability were addressed. The town would be covered by insurance, he said, as long as signs addressing safety were posted.
“We hope a lot of people come out to the meeting and voice their concern, if they are in favor or against a skate park, so the commission can move forward one way or the other and make decisions on it. It’s been on the table for quite a while and we’ve got to get moving with it,” Butler said.
Following town finance guidance not to let old line items in the town’s budget linger past three years, the commission voted at its October meeting to combine and reallocate three separate line items, totaling $54,519, that had been earmarked for the skateboard park, handicapped bathrooms, and a playground at Camp Oakdale to complete the handicapped-accessible bathrooms project.
However, the ultimate decision to divert and reallocate capital improvements such as that rests with the Town Finance Committee, which is made up of Town Council members, Fafard explained. First, the Capital Planning Committee, which is responsible for developing a long-range plan of town capital expenses greater than $10,000, will need to consider the changes, she said. So, in effect, none of the $54,519 in the Parks and Recreation capital plan will be spent this fiscal year, she said.
The Parks and Recreation Commission also has scheduled a special meeting at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 12, to hold an open discussion with the town attorney on the functions of the Parks and Recreation Commission, as well as the specific functions and duties of the Parks and Recreation director, a paid town staff position. Notice of the meeting, in Room 203 of the Town Hall, is posted under the Parks and Recreation Commission meetings, agendas, and minutes on the town Web site, www.townofmontville.org.
Watch next week’s Montville Times for an update on the Montville Holiday Parade, set for Sunday, Dec. 7 at 5 p.m.