Supporting A New Park For Newtown Teens

By Kendra Bobowick

Searching for a vacant parking lot or long, smooth driveway, skateboarders are walking alone or in groups and looking for a place to hop on their boards and practice their sport.

Newtown’s skating supporters are hoping to establish a home where a drop-in half-pipe casts the shadow on a teen sweeping down one curved side of the arc and rolling upward on the other. Hearing good news from the Parks and Recreation Department, which supports their efforts, and more good news from the Fairfield Hills Authority, which has identified a location on the former state hospital campus for a park, only one piece of the pie is missing. The skaters need money.

An ongoing Donate To Skate campaign in conjunction with the recreation commission is working toward a goal of at least $50,000, said My Place Restaurant owner and campaign spokesperson Mark Tambascio. The local businessman, along with resident Lori Capozziello, who had begun the campaign by approaching Parks & Rec in past months, both believe that the skaters’ age group needs an outlet in Newtown.

“For that age, there is nothing to do,” he said. Mr Tambascio’s son Dylan, 13, is among the crowd of skaters in town who would benefit from their own location.

Aside from accepting funds through personal contributions, Mr Tambascio has also begun approaching businesses for donations. “Probably with $50,000 we can do the park,” he said.

An upcoming fundraiser is tentatively planned for coming months at Dickinson Park. Mr Tambascio anticipates possibly a skating competition, demonstrations, and a showcase of local bands.

While he knows that residents either practicing or interested in learning about skating will attend, he reaches for others in the community.

“It may open people’s minds up,” he said.

Boosting the Donate to Skate campaign is additional support from the town. Although Mr Tambascio originally envisioned a cement surface, he said the town offered to contribute asphalt and save some costs. “We may be asking them to do that,” he said.

 The fundraising and skate park promotion efforts are “never-ending,” he said. “This is something getting better and better as it goes along,” he said.

Explaining a little about skating, he said, “It is becoming a very popular sport.” Already parks have been built in Danbury, Brookfield, New Milford, and Ridgefield. “This is a sport that has risen steadily — X-treme sports are becoming more and more popular,” he said.

Mr Tambascio continued, “It’s unbelievable how the industry is beginning to grow.”

As part of the Donate to Skate campaign, Mr Tambascio refers to a printed flyer that includes a mission statement, skating facts, and reasons for building a park.

The mission states, “The intention is to reach out to residents, organizations and businesses…in aiding our fundraising campaign…our goal is to provide skate enthusiasts with a safe place to skate.” The flyer’s information explains that town officials have offered an outdoor space at Fairfield Hills to locate a park, and Parks & Rec will then support and run the park.

Among the statistics are some points for consideration. For example, “One in ten United States Teenagers owns a skateboard,” and “Skate parks are the number one choice of teenagers when polled by the Parks and Recreation Departments.”

In bold black type, the information sheet notes, “Skateboard parks keep kids off the street and give them a safe place to practice.”

Residents or company representatives can drop in at My Place Restaurant at the corner of Queen Street and the Big Y parking lot, or contact Mr Tambascio at mark@myplacepizza.com. Checks can be made to the Newtown Parks and Recreation Department and should have Donate to Skate on the memo line. Donors contributing more than $100 will be recognized with their name on a plaque to be placed outside the park.