Fair Haven skateboarders push for park der=0 bgcolor=”#D0D0D0″> "Skateboarders have a certain stereotype. People think you’re not the nicest people in the world, and I know that’s not true."
JACKIE POLLACK
Skaters like this group say they are tired of being on the run every time they want to go skating. Pictured are Greg Gerstler (l-r), 16, Dillon Norton, 13, and Brett Pollarine, 18, all of Red Bank, and Justin Conley, 16, of Fair Haven and Travis Farese, 16, of Rumson.
FAIR HAVEN — After years of being chased away from private parking lots and public parks, local skateboarders may soon have a place to call their own.
More than 50 young skateboarders, mostly from Knollwood School, turned out at the Youth Center Monday afternoon for an organizational meeting on constructing a skate park in the borough.
Arriving with skateboards under their arms, and some on in-line skates, the youths crowded the meeting room of the Fisk Avenue Youth Center to hear from Fair Haven resident Rob Wallman.
Wallman, a parent of a 13-year-old skateboarder, is spearheading a campaign to construct a park for skaters who say they are tired of having to be constantly on the run whenever they want to skate.
The push for a skate park in the borough comes on the heels of a proposal in Red Bank, where the Borough Council is considering a ban on skateboarding and in-line skating in the downtown area and at public parks.
Skating is technically legal in Fair Haven, but often skateboarders use private places such as the Acme parking lot, which are off-limits, because they say they have nowhere else to go.
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For Fair Haven skater Justin Conley, 16, plans to build a skate park in town would mean more skating time and less hassle. For police and business owners it could mean fewer headaches from juveniles using private property for recreation.
Joe Perrotto, director of recreation for the borough, teamed up with Wallman after receiving a letter from skateboarders asking that they be given somewhere legal to skate.
"These are good kids," Perrotto said after the meeting. "They just have a sport that people aren’t familiar with. It’s not baseball, apple pie and Chevrolet."
The audience of mainly boys, some still wearing helmets, sat in rapt attention as Wallman ran a 30-minute meeting in which the group picked a location for the park, formed committees and addressed issues of insurance, maintenance, hours of operation and design.
Speaking quickly and emphatically, Wallman laid out for the group a plan of action for constructing a cement park where skateboarders and in-line skaters could practice their sport legally and without interference.
Wallman presented two possible locations for the park that could be proposed for Borough Council approval: Fair Haven Fields and the basketball court at the Youth Center, located directly behind the police station.
The group almost unanimously opted for the Youth Center for accessibility and price.
Wallman estimated that the Youth Center location could be built for between $30,000 and $40,000. Fair Haven Fields, Wallman estimated, would cost about $140,000.
Additionally, Wallman said the Haven Fields location would be a "battle" to get approved because of its proximity to residents and its high-profile location that could make it "more popular than (the skate park in) Asbury Park."
Wallman estimates a cost of $12,000 to $15,000 for resurfacing the asphalt courts in masonry concrete. It would cost an additional $12,000 to add concrete elevated ramps and structure.
Wallman told the skaters his intent would be to create a park that blended with the environment around it.
"We want to make it look better than it did when we started," he said.
Several boys in the audience posed their own questions about how the park would be constructed and run and how they could help.
"How will we afford maintenance?" one asked.
Others questioned whether they would have to sign a release, whether the park would have a fence and whether the number of people in the park would be limited.
"I came in sort of late," said 10-year-old skateboarder Dave Naringi. "Did you guys go over liability?"
Wallman told the skaters they would be working with the county’s Joint Insurance Program representative to construct a plan that would meet county specs for the general liability insurance. According to Wallman, this could be done without an increase in Fair Haven’s insurance costs.
The park would require all skaters to wear helmets and pads and would likely operate from 3 p.m. until dusk on school days and only during daylight hours on weekends.
Wallman, who works for a company that manufactures skateboard products, told his audience that while he would stand behind them in the push for the park, it would have to be the work of the skaters themselves that makes it happen.
"Skateboarders have a certain stereotype. People think you’re not the nicest people in the world, and I know that’s not true," he told the skaters. "This is your turn to shine.
"Once you commit to working for this thing, there’s no backing out," he added.
The skaters volunteered to serve on three committees: design, fund raising and liaisons to council. Wallman emphasized that when the skaters approach council, their presentation must be professional and contain a thorough plan including schematics and costs.
He said he hopes that the park, if approved, will be open for skaters by mid to late summer.
Wallman emphasized the sense of urgency in building a park as other towns step up their regulation of skateboarding.
"We all know what happened in Red Bank," he said.
The park would be funded privately, possibly with the help of corporate skate sponsors and local businesses.
"If the Acme is upset we’re skateboarding," Wallman said to the skaters, "go over there and ask if they would like to contribute (to the park)."
Already the few parents in attendance at the meeting said they would be willing to help raise funds for the park.
Marisa Robertson, mother of two who skateboard and in-line skate, said she takes her 10-year-old to the Asbury Park skate park.
"It’s either that or skate in the driveway," she said. "There really aren’t places to skate."
Robertson added that she doesn’t see any negative stereotype associated with the sport.
"It’s a great outlet. It’s like riding a bike," she said.
Mayor Bill Leonard attended the meeting and said that so far the idea seems like a good one.
"The town’s council is well aware of the problems you have with the lack of space to skate," he told the skaters.
Leonard added that in the meantime the skaters should be considerate of business owners who have complained about skaters on their properties.
"The Police Department is not trying to be the big bad wolf, chasing you away," he said.
After the meeting, some police officers said building a skate park is something they welcome and that kids who are into skateboarding generally stay out of trouble.
"This is great," said Corp. Michael Tallarico. "It helps us out. At least then we know where they are."
Chief Richard Towler said giving kids a positive outlet is a priority for him.
"I would never deny a recreational activity for any child," he said. "I wouldn’t."
The next planning meeting will be held at the Youth Center at 4:15 p.m. March 13. For more information, call Wallman at (732) 345-0533.