Town Administrator Gary Brougham said he found benches broken, ramps and jumps in bad repair and trash at the park.
Casey A. Brown, who was 13 when this picture was taken, catches some air at the refurbished Belchertown Skate Park behind the police station in 2006. Selectmen recently voted, once again, to close the park until repairs can be made.BELCHERTOWN – The town’s skate park will remain closed until the Skate Park Committee makes repairs that satisfy the town building inspector and the trash that has been found at the park is cleaned up.
This decision was explained Monday by members of the Board of Selectmen to parents of those youths who use the park.
The response made by selectmen after learning the park was littered and unsafe is similar to positions the board has taken in recent years.
Town Administrator Gary L. Brougham reported to the board that during an inspection two weeks ago, he found benches broken, ramps and jumps in bad repair and trash at the park.
“I found items of great concern,” Brougham said.
The park was also inspected by Building Inspector Paul Adzima, who ordered that it be closed because of safety reasons.
Selectman Ronald E. Aponte said, “By viewing the pictures, I can certainly see where it would be a public safety issue.”
Representatives of the Skate Park Committee, which has traditionally been filled with parents of current users of the skate park, conceded that repairs are needed but said the committee has about $1,100 in its account, which is enough to cover the purchase of plywood to replace ramps.
When Selectman Kenneth E. Elstein asked what it would take to make long-lasting repairs instead of having to get the park ready for use each spring, Aponte said the town budget was set by Town Meeting a few weeks ago, so he would not expect any new funding to be available for the Skate Park Committee until the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2012.
Some members of the Skate Park Committee suggested that the town should be maintaining the skate park the way other parks in town are maintained.
Brougham said that when the skate park was established several years ago, the Recreation Commission and the Board of Selectmen were concerned about liability problems and did not want it to be treated like other town parks.
“The parents who proposed it agreed to build it and take care of it,” Brougham said.
Elstein suggested that the town take a more formal role in maintaining the skate park and paying for its upkeep. “It is a town facility,” he said.
Aponte said that members of the Skate Park Committee could meet with the Recreation Commission in the coming year and discuss future funding.
“As for the short-term problem, it sounds like you have a game plan,” Aponte told the Skate Park Committee. “It looks like we can save this particular season.”
Selectman George D. Archible said, “It doesn’t cost anything to pick up the trash,” and members of the Skate Park Committee said they have plans for a cleanup day, which the youths who use the park will participate in.