The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Work on a new skate park in Middlebush Park will probably start in the Spring of 2022, now that the Township Council awarded a $308,000 contract for its design and construction at its August 10 meeting.
And once the park is open, the township ordinance regarding wearing safety equipment while skating will be enforced more stringently than it has in the past, a township official said.
The unanimous vote to award the $308,589.15 contract to Spohn Ranch of Los Angeles, Cal. came after a short discussion triggered by the suggestion by the township Open Space Advisory Committee that a spray park should be installed in place of the skate park.
A slim majority of Open Space committee members said they felt that a spray park would be used more than the skate park was. The skate park was recently dissembled, after an inspection by the township’s Joint Insurance Fund determined that the 15-year-old structure was unsafe to use.
But Council members pointed out that there is a small spray park at Naaman Williams Park and a larger one in Colonial Park, although bacteria problems have forced its closure.
The Council’s land use subcommittee voted unanimously to replace the skate park, but suggested that the full Council discuss the Open Space Committee’s preference.
Proof that the skate park is popular was evident after the park was shut down, Township Councilman Ted Chase (D-Ward 1) said.
“Skateboarders kept coming and getting into the park and continuing to use it until it was completely removed,” he said. “This is an indication that there are dedicated users of the skateboard park, and that to me is a good reason to build a new one.”
Councilwoman Crystal Pruitt (D-At Large) agreed with Chase.
“We’re always trying to get our middle schoolers, high schoolers engaged in different things around the community,” she said. “(We need to) give them space in a place where they can express themselves. I think a skateboard park is one of those places.”
“Skating is an Olympic event; while it is a hobby for some, it could be a vocation for others,” she said. “I think we need to respect that and support that and allow for that kind of physical expression in Middlebush Park. There’s no other place for them to engage in skating in a relatively safe way.”
“While I appreciate Open Space’s thoughts, I think we need to stick with the skate park,” Pruitt said.
Councilwoman Shepa Uddin (D-Ward 2) said the skate park “puts a unique touch to Middlebush Park. It’s something that is a year-round activity for multiple age groups. You see the value in it when you see how many people use that park.”
Councilman Ram Anbarasan (D-At Large) said the park is “going to serve the community very well for many years, and I think it’s going to be a wonderful facility for anyone who wants to do skateboarding. I think it’s a good thing we are happy to support.”
Mayor Phil Kramer said that he initially opposed the skate park when it was proposed 15 years ago.
“I was wrong,” he said. “My two concerns were safety, and that it wasn’t going to be used. I think it’s well-discussed that its been used and very popular, and … the manager tells me in 15 years, there’s never been any litigation involving an injury at the skate park. I, too, am in favor of it.”
Township Manager Robert Vornlocker said that he has received many phone calls and emails from residents asking when the skate park will be replaced. By contrast, he said, he did not receive any communications from people opposing the skate park or supporting a spray park.
“This seems to be one of those things that you don’t realize how much interest there is in it until its gone,” he said.
The new skate park will be constructed of concrete, which means no work can be done on it this winter, Vornlocker said.
He said that final design work will take some time, so the concrete probably won’t be poured until the Spring.
Vornlocker said that officials know that “there are times when people use the park and don’t use the proper safety equipment. We need to revisit the manner we use to enforce that ordinance so that people have a fun and safe time.”
“This is not looking to write tickets, but to gain compliance,” he said. “I think with a little bit of education, that can go a long way.”
