Valley Stream Skate Park opens to mixed reviews

Skateboarders rode the rails and ramps at the Valley Stream Skate Park for the first time at its opening last Saturday. Though only a few early skaters gathered at the rink, on Sunrise Highway beside the village’s Long Island Rail Road station, the traffic picked up later in the day at a facility that local skateboarders said they couldn’t wait to see.

Anthony Savillo, a South High School senior, was the first skater of the day. An avid boarder for the last five years, he had signed up for membership about two weeks ago. He had high hopes and positive feedback about the new park. “I woke up early because I was excited to be here,” Savillo said. “My fantasy when this opened was to come out of school and do something here.”

He said he hopes the skate park turns out to be a success, but he suggested some changes. More benches and half-pipes could be added, Savillo said, and the rink could be moved to Hendrickson Park. Also, the rule mandating safety equipment will keep some skateboarders from using the park, he noted. Most important, he encouraged village officials to listen to the community’s skateboarders and work with the local skate shop Mass Transit on Rockaway Avenue. “If they need help,” he said, “ask us.”

Jonathan Labady, an 11-year-old seventh-grader at Memorial Junior High School, was practicing some moves near the LIRR station before entering the skate park, which uses an existing roller hockey rink. Labady said he was excited to try out the equipment, but he also wished there were more obstacles like stairs.

The park opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m. It features a “street course” design, including a quarter pike, a bank ramp, a fly box wave, a launch and grind rails. During the day, recreation attendants are on hand. Mayor Ed Fare anticipated that more skaters would visit in the evening, when the rink would be lit up. It will be a safe place to hang out at night, he said.

“Young people throughout our village, like young people everywhere, need safe and new ways to exercise and have fun,” Fare said. “I am thrilled that we were able to bring a skate park to our village, and I encourage everyone to come on down and try out their skateboard moves.”

Of course, Fare was anxious to gauge the community’s response. He said that kids had been asking about the park, and that the level of participation and attendance were important factors in determining whether it could be expanded. “If the excitement picks up, we are happy to build on it,” he said.

Peter Costanzo, another teenage resident, said he would skate at the park because it’s the only place to go, but he was disappointed with the park’s equipment policy. “I can’t skate with protective gear, as much as it may save me,” he said.

Brett Nahman, an 18-year-old Nassau Community College student and a South High graduate, was a staunch advocate for the park for five years, but he said he is not sure he will sign up to be member right now. He envisioned a smaller park, “maybe even half the size of the hockey rink,” like the Long Beach skate park, he said, and he believes the new park has several drawbacks. “The ramps are small, placed too close together, lack any necessary skill for the average skater,” he said. “Hopefully the problem gets sorted out, as this is not what anybody pictured a park to be like.”