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Mostly Cloudy Officials seek uptick in skate park usage
The Valley Stream Skate Park is nearing its first summer open for business after skaters hit the rails and ramps for the first time in September 2011. Village officials are looking to see if the summer months bring more patrons to the park.
Forty-seven people have signed up to use the park since September — 44 of them in 2011, but Mayor Ed Fare said that number might rise in the coming weeks.
“We will see if there will be greater participation once school is out and the days are longer,” Fare said. “In fact, this past April was unseasonably warm, and our staff reported a significant uptick in participation in the afternoons after school dismissal.” Fare added that there were about 10 to 12 kids using the park on some of the warmer days.
When the park opened, there was a rule that required everyone who used the facilities to wear safety equipment, including helmets, knee pads, elbow pads and wrist pads. After gathering feedback from skaters, the village changed the equipment rules: kids ages 7 to 10 are required to wear all safety equipment, kids ages 11-17 must wear a helmet, knee pads and elbow pads, and adults 18 and older are required to wear only helmets and elbow pads.
“I don’t plan on using the park ever unless they make changes to the helmet rules,” said South High School senior Anthony Savillo who used to use the park multiple times per week. “I would like to see the rules change, especially the way they enforce the rules. There is no real reason to be so strict against kids who want to go somewhere to play and have fun.”
According to Fare, all recreation facilities are evaluated based on the number of injuries, legal liability exposure, use of waivers, proper rules and regulations and state laws by insurance company underwriters when determining insurance premiums.
“The insurance companies require the use of personal protective equipment for all skateboarders,” Fare said. “All these requirements reduce the risk of serious injury to the skateboarder, roller bladers and scooter users. Thus it protects the members and the village.”
The village provides patrons with equipment for a small fee, and has granted members the ability to bring guests into the park for $3 per day or $5 day if they are a non-village resident. Annual membership for the park costs $18 for village residents and $55 for residents of the Central High School District.
South High School junior Peter Costanzo said he would not use the park again because he wants a, “concrete park, not a skate park made from plastic.”
Tyler Moran, a fellow South student, said the park isn’t what he expected it would be. “I thought it was going to be a professionally made skate park and maybe a cement park that would make everyone in this town happy,” Moran said.
Fare said if more and more people sign up to use the park, it can grow. “It’s nice when facilities are popular, used frequently and can be expanded,” he said. “Conversely, under-used programs can be modified, adjusted or even canceled, in favor of other venues for our population.”
Members of the Recreation Department supervise the park, check passes and conduct daily inspections of the facility. Depending on how many people use the park over the summer, these employees might be extra busy this summer.
“As a board,” Fare said, “we are starting to realize a ‘Campus’ mentality,’ offer a broad range of services, throughout the village, in our best effort to serve 35,000 residents.”
