Please submit the following letter to the Drayton Community News as well.
Thank you Larry Lynch for welcoming our letters and opinions. A skatepark in Drayton will offer our children other options, not all children feel they can play team sports. Skateboarding, roller blading, biking, and skootering are all physically and mentally challenging. It builds confidence, strength, and endurance. If it is treated as a sport, it will become a sport.
As a longtime resident, even prior to having my own children involved in the community, I have seen several generations of bmxers building their own jumps and looking for places to practice their skills. The town has continuously ‘unbuilt’ or ripped down the kids accomplishments. It seems if you are not a soccer, baseball, or hockey player in this town, you are out of luck. Now with the continuous efforts and ingenuity of our current generation, we have an opportunity to offer our kids and future generations an outlet for their creativity and fitness.
Those that don’t want a skatepark in town must not have been to an active skatepark that is in use. If we put it in a secluded area, it won’t get used and it will become an eye sore and attract the kind of people we don’t want in our neighborhoods. If we put it in a well-populated, well-lit area with easy access, it becomes a wonderful addition to our community attracting kids from surrounding areas as well.
I welcome a skate park in my back yard. As one of the areas being considered just happens to be in my back yard. I would find the bottom part of the municipal parking lot down town an absolutely perfect spot. Again…well-lit, well-populated, the fire hall is close by for any emergencies, easy, safe access for kids, parents, and others from surrounding communities. It can be busy and can be noisy due to regular traffic, so those that live nearby should be used to it as they have made the choice to live there. Yes, there was a lot of money spent to make it a perfect parking lot….to accommodate the theater crowd. That is generous. All well and fine, but it is absolutely empty when there is no theater….and that is more often than not. We could be accommodating our own community and future generations. I encourage residents to come and witness our local talent, these kids work so hard, they deserve so much more. It would be an absolute shame to try to hide it and make it non accommodating.
I personally welcome the opportunity to watch our children grow in confidence and skill in a safe and positive environment. I welcome the noise of laughter, competition, and pure enjoyment IMBY.
Special thanks to our skatepark commitee for all your hard work, enthusiasm, and time! Don’t forget to vote every day at www.avivacommunityfund.org.
Paula Vogel
Paula Vogel