Skate park ready to roll with $52,000 contract

By jennifer dome
Staff Writer

Skate park ready to roll
with $52,000 contract
By jennifer dome
Staff Writer

SOUTH RIVER — Borough children will soon have a safe haven to ride skateboards, bicycles and in-line skates without fear of getting kicked off someone else’s property.

The Borough Council voted unanimously Monday to award a $52,000 contract to Spohn Ranch, of Industry, Calif. Spohn Ranch’s representative in the area is Marturano Recreation Co. Inc., of Brick Township, Ocean County.

"This has been a few months coming, but by awarding this contract we’re taking our first step toward a new skate park," Councilwoman Joanne Dembinski said.

According to Dembinski, borough officials met with children of various ages last spring and spoke with them about what they would like in a skate park. The children told officials they wanted a park for skaters at different skill levels, Dembinski said. The consensus was that a skate park for beginners and intermediate skaters would be most desired, she said.

The borough will use the old tennis courts at Varga Park on William Street as the site for the skate park. The area is approximately 12,000 square feet. The asphalt and fencing necessary for the park are already in place, Dembinski said.

She was uncertain when the construction will begin and end.

Marturano Recreation representative Ron Nowak and professional skateboarder Dave Marshall attended a forum in March to discuss the equipment offered by Spohn Ranch with officials and residents. More than a dozen children were present at the meeting that highlighted the types of material and configurations used to create the skate park.

Spohn Ranch builds their skate parks with steel-framed equipment and a material called "Skatelite" as the riding surface. This material is waterproof and "engineered to withstand the elements and rigors of skate park use," according to a pamphlet provided by Marturano Recreation.

Spohn Ranch has provided skate park equipment for more than five dozen skate events, such as Extreme Games, the Red Bull Tony Hawk Video Game Premiere and various movies, music videos and television shows.

Local skaters will also be pleased to see the project progressing since, due to an ordinance approved in March, skateboarding on Board of Education property is now prohibited.

Borough officials said that children can still use skateboards to get to and from school, but not on the school properties. In January, Superintendent of Schools John Ambrogi requested that the council consider passing such an ordinance since the skaters were causing too much damage to school property and were posing a danger to themselves and others.

Dembinski had voted against the ordinance in March because she said the penalties are "too harsh."

Violators who are under 18 years old will have their skateboard impounded, and it will only be released to the parent or guardian of the minor, according to the ordinance. If a minor is convicted of a second offense parents or guardians will be contacted, and the skateboard will be confiscated, the ordinance states.

Those 18 and over can be fined up to $250 for the first violation, and no more than $500 for the second or succeeding violations, the ordinance states.