Date: Fri 17-Jan-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: STEVEB

Quick Words:

skateboarders-park&Rec

Full Text:

with photo... Skateboarders Seach For A Place Where They Are Welcome

B Y S TEVE B IGHAM

At the end of the school day, all seventh grader Adam Prokop and his friends

want to do is get in a bit of skateboarding before the sun goes down.

But because skateboarding is prohibited on school grounds and in most parking

lots, they find themselves being chased away by police and local store

merchants more often than not.

"Skateboards aren't allowed anywhere," said Newtown Middle School guidance

counselor Kate McKinney, who's tried to assist these young skaters. "You can't

use them in the streets, you can't use them in the schools, you can't use them

anywhere."

What these young student-skaters want is a place to call their own, a

skateboard/roller blade park where they can use their jumps, pyramids and

other equipment for tricks.

"We're talking about aggressive skating," said skater John Catino Monday.

Parks & Recreation Director Barbara Kasbarian has temporarily allowed the

Newtown Middle School students the use of the basketball court at Dickinson

Park (pending approval from the insurance company), but only as a stop-gap.

Mrs Kasbarian has made every effort to help the boys, but said the town does

not have the property to provide a skating area and has the issue of liability

to deal with. Late last year, the state Supreme Court repealed the Land-Use

Recreation Act by ruling in the Wilton vs. Conway case that municipalities are

now liable for any injuries incurred on town-owned property. The law used to

state that towns were only liable for injuries that occurred while

participating in events where a fee was charged. This decision has prompted

several Connecticut towns to close down their skate boarding parks.

Stateboarding and rollerblading are permitted on the Dickinson Park basketball

court, but on no other town-owned property, specifically tennis courts, Mrs

Kasbarian said.

The skateboarders are hoping that a private company will hear of their plight

and offer to let them use a piece of property. To better assist in their

search for a facility, Mrs Kasbarian has encouraged the skaters to form a

network of parents who's kids skate.