Skateboard Park
May Be Removed
By M. D. Drysdale

In a surprise announcement, Town Manager Peter Butterfield told the selectboard Tuesday that the Recreation Committee believes it is best to remove the skateboard park on Prince Street.

It’s a matter of safety, vandalism and declining use, Butterfield said.

He said the recommendation was "not controversial on the committee," on which his wife, Dawn Butterfield, serves.

The committee is concerned about the condition of the equipment and "feel it’s a liability," he said.

The selectboard’s reaction was summarized by Chairman Jim Hutchinson.

"Hmm—really?" he said.

The town manager said he, too, had been "a little surprised" by the recommendation.

Selectman Larry Townsend quickly said that the board needs other input. "Before we eliminate something, we should hear from the ones that might use it," he said.

He recommended that the board seek the advice of Max Bryant, executive director of the Boys & Girls Club, who might have contact with skateboarding youth.

The rest of the board was in agreement.

"We went through quite a lot to put this park together," Hutchinson said. "This is important. We want people to have time to react to the selectboard."

The Recreation Committee will meet Wednesday, April 18 and Selectman Ken Goss will attend to get further perspective.

Second Attempt

The Prince Street skateboard park is the town’s second. The first attempt was to set up ramps on a blacktop surface at the recreation field. However, the equipment was in place only a week. It was taken down after a 13-year-old—who was riding a bike, not a skateboard, on the equipment—suffered serious injuries, including a skull fracture, when he fell onto the pavement.

The Town was sued for $1 million over that tragedy, and settled for $175,000.

The equipment at the current park is far more sturdy, but use of the area has fluctuated widely, and by all accounts fell off considerably last summer.

That may have been affected by the nearby bridge construction that impacted the park and its equipment.

The availability of the park hasn’t kept young people from skateboarding illegally on streets and sidewalks as well. Board secretary Cindy Spaulding told the board Tuesday night that her office received complaints last summer from elderly people.

Resident Pamela Yerrington responded that in the experience of her former hometown, there are two different groups of skateboarders—whose who ply their sport in a park and those who insist on doing it in the streets.