Skaters ask 'what now' after loss of skate park Graffiti, debris, fires forced town to close facility BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer A group of Old Bridge boys has been forced to take it to the streets.While the township's parks are seeing a wave of improvements, there is one area that the local teens and one parent see as sorely lacking - the skate park. The township's former skate park, located in Veteran's Park, Englishtown Road, had been a regular hang-out for the boys, but has been vandalized over time to the point that it became unfit to be used and had to be dismantled. "As of last week, they have nowhere to go," said Paul DeSalvo, whose son, James, 14, once used the park for biking. "It is empty now." DeSalvo took the boys to Monday's Township Council meeting to voice their grievances with the state of disrepair the skate park has fallen into. The council had no solution at the ready for the group, but Mayor Jim Phillips met with them outside the meeting to address their concerns. "It started with one or two graffitis, then they started ripping up the ramps," Dylan Iaccario, 15, said. DeSalvo said older teens vandalized the skate park, not only with graffiti, but with a litter of broken glass bottles and other debris. Phillips agreed, saying fires were set underneath some of the ramps there. "They used to have a cop there to watch, but he just stopped coming," Corey Wilson, 14, said. Old Bridge Police Lt. Robert Moser said special officers patrol all park areas in the evenings after closing time to prevent vandalism, but they are not able to be there at all times. Township Recreation Director Tom Badcock said that for several years after the park was built in 2000, there was a special officer posted there during the time it was open, for insurance reasons. The park supervisor also patrols the area. However, over the last few years, insurance restrictions were lightened and the town stopped the expensive practice, Badcock said. "Unless you stake someone out there 24 hours a day, you can't catch these people," Badcock said. "The vandals are not the people that are using it." Badcock said the vandalism at the skate park has been the worst he has ever seen in Old Bridge. Initially, the township was able to make repairs to the equipment there, but as the vandals ripped out fencing and vital elements of the ramps, then began setting fire to the equipment, even burning a portable bathroom to the ground, it became too costly a proposition. Badcock said the park, in its entirety, cost about $100,000 to construct, and the repairs would have cost between $15,000 and $20,000. Due to the fact that the township would be liable for any injuries that occur there even though a sign is posted saying the park is closed, Badcock suggested to the Recreation Advisory Board in April that the skate park be dismantled. Last week, the job was completed. Since the park went downhill, the boys said they have nowhere else to go to do bike tricks and stunts, other than the parking lots of local businesses. However, the police have chased them out of these places, which are unsafe for such activities because of traffic. "I've never seen a crowd in serious trouble when they're on a baseball field, a football field, a tennis court or a skate park," Phillips said. "It's when they're not on a baseball field, a football field, a tennis court or a skate park that they can get into mischief." The teens told Phillips a new park with concrete ramps would be the ideal solution to the problem. Any graffiti could be painted over, they said, and the ramps would be virtually indestructible. They cited Sayreville's skate park, located in Kennedy Park, as something Old Bridge could use as a model. "We would love to have that built," Dylan said. Phillips told the boys he would talk with Sayreville Mayor Kennedy O'Brien to glean some input for the construction of a new facility. The boys said residents of Sayreville volunteer to keep watch over the park while it is in use. "Maybe we can learn a few lessons from Sayreville," Phillips said. If the old park site was not large enough to accommodate the concrete structures, he said, one option may be to build the facility in Peter A. Mannino Park, which the township is developing on Route 516. "[There is] nobody around," Phillips said of Mannino Park. "Not a house within rifle shot. They could have some fun over there." Badcock agreed with Phillips, saying the size and location of Mannino Park would prove a better location. At the same time, he said, concrete would be an expensive proposition, depending on the size of the new park. "When we bought the components [of the old park], there were not a lot of companies on the market," Badcock said. The township went with components made from pressure-treated wood, which is not as durable as other types of material. "It wouldn't be out of the question if there was enough interest in doing it," Badcock said. "You obviously are going to have to have enough people who want it to warrant spending that kind of money." This is not the first time area skaters and bikers have gotten involved in the workings of the township. When the first skate park was in the works in 1999, Badcock formed a committee with the kids who wanted it built, and they not only helped pick the components, but also helped to review the budget and work out other details. Phillips lauded the teens on the initiative they showed by bringing their concerns to the meeting, and said he would work toward taking action on their behalf. "Is it do-able? Absolutely," Phillips said. "If this is what they want to do, and this is what keeps them occupied, keeps them happy and keeps them out of trouble, then I'm for it."