Local residents take skate park issue into their own hands

Two people have pledged to donate $10,000 each toward a new skate park in Fort Scott, according to Commissioner Jim Adams.

Adams has spoken to the donors about the issue. He also discussed the issue at Tuesday's city commission meeting in hopes of gaining ideas and input from the community about a possible skate park.

"These guys obviously feel strong about this to give $10,000," Adams said in a phone interview Thursday. "I'm trying to come up with a solution that we can get something done quickly ... even for this summer," Adams said. "I wanted to bring it up in a meeting so that more people know about it and the more ideas we can get.

"We've got an immediate need. It's (skateboarding) a great activity. Kids are out exercising. There's lots of kids participating and that have talked about it (a skate park). Kids are skateboarding downtown and you hate to run them off. There's a big need for it and hopefully we can get something done."

Adams said one possibility could be, to construct a small park immediately which could possibly be expanded in the future.

Building a stake park in Fort Scott has been a hot topic around town recently.

But, there are more questions than answers at this point. Some of the questions that still linger are; location, size, funding, insurance liability, maintenance responsibility, construction responsibility.

Several months ago, at a commission meeting, a church group came forward and asked the commission if the city would possibly help them build a park. The commission at that time said to come back with a workable plan and then the city would consider assisting.

Then, at the last meeting on May 6, a business owner downtown went before the commission about skateboarders honing their craft atop picnic tables in Skubitz Plaza. She said they were damaging the tables and asked if there was anything the commission or police could do to stop or prevent their actions.

According to a city ordinance passed in 1990, no person on roller skates, skateboards, or "riding in or by means of any coaster, toy vehicle or similar device" can go in any roadway except while crossing a street at a cross walk. They can't go on any sidewalk except in areas zoned residential.

A skate park could offer kids a safer place to skateboard rather than in the street or on public property where they're not welcome.

City Manager Joe Turner said staff will bring back to the commission a summary of the discussion at Tuesday's meeting.