BRATTLEBORO — A fundamental problem with the proposed skatepark location at the Crowell Lot is the faulty process that has brought us this far. It is my experience in Brattleboro that people will respectfully accept decisions that do not go their way as long as the process is fair and open. This has not been the case with the skatepark.
“Re-site the Skatepark” signs can be seen throughout town. Many citizens of Brattleboro wish to preserve the Crowell Lot as a well-used historic park that provides a large patch of green space in a part of town that is otherwise highly developed.
Many of us feel that the skatepark process was incomplete and one-sided. Although we support the siting of a skatepark in town, we are passionate about preserving a park that works just the way it is.
The decision to not even discuss a skatepark at Memorial Park was made off the record. Can any public official explain how this decision took place?
The town school board has had one concern: Will a skatepark at the Crowell Lot affect school activities? The school board hearings did not give voice to the concerns of the community about pouring nearly 10,000 square feet of concrete in a green space.
These hearings in the fall of 2009 are now described by skatepark supporters as “public hearings” on siting a skatepark at the Crowell Lot. In fact, they were hearings on the impact of a skatepark on the nearby Green Street School.
When the issue came before Representative Town Meeting in March of 2010, it was presented as merely a pro forma approval of the school board's lease “should” it be determined by the town to proceed with this location.
Town meeting representatives that I have spoken to have expressed surprise that this vote is now being called “extensive discussions” and the largest citizen participation ever on the Crowell Lot location.
I was there, and I have watched it on the BCTV website. It was not a town-wide discussion of this location.
The Selectboard created Brattleboro Area Skatepark Is Coming (BASIC) in May of 2010 to proceed with the Crowell Lot location. When did community hearings take place? They did not.
I have been told that I should have attended BASIC meetings. A member of BASIC told me that that that committee has never had an agenda item to discuss the location. They were handed this mission to fundraise and build the skatepark at this location.
Where have opponents of this location had a opportunity to voice their concerns? Specific concerns about this site are numerous.
The ugly tone of online discussions about the use of the Crowell Lot for this project forced the town to adopt a social media policy that effectively keeps town committees off of social media. Members of the community who have vandalized and stolen more than a few Re-Site signs have undermined the work of those who are willing to carry on a respectful discussion.
Materials distributed by the the town skatepark committee need to be fact checked and approved before they are distributed. Those of us on Re-Site have made a sincere effort to attend all relevant meetings to educate ourselves and participate in an informed discussion.
We all know that the search for a suitable location has been long. But frustration is not an excuse for taking shortcuts in what should be a completely transparent process.
Acrimony will follow this project for years and will undermine its success as long as key stakeholders who have fundamental concerns are dissatisfied.
This issue can fester politically and even become a legal issue for the town. It is time to stop and invite everyone to the table for a full and open discussion.
If you would like to post a Re-Site sign in your yard, email [email protected]. We can deliver you one.