BRATTLEBORO — I disagree with many of the so-called facts in this article by Scott Dixon addressing skatepark siting.
I have visited several skateparks over the past 10 years gathering facts and opinions. I have also consulted with sound engineers and police officers, and I have researched lawsuits involving skatepark noise.
First of all, I know the Elm Street area well, having been raised nearby, and I have walked thereabouts for years. It is not out of everybody's earshot, as claimed. Police drive by every few minutes; auto traffic is steady at all hours. It is well-lit and not dangerous.
Skateparks are always at risk of graffiti from gangs, both local and those in nearby towns. Fencing them in is the normal way of protecting the large investment, and failure to do so invites constant challenges.
The biggest danger to young skateboard beginners is in not using proper headgear, wrist-, elbow-, and knee-pad protection, and in practicing with no supervision. At the park, there will be no supervision by recreation personnel or anyone else. Parents or concerned adults will have to be there. Mothers with teeny tots next door will not ensure skatepark safety. Enclosed parks will be locked down at night, so as not to encourage unauthorized use.
Dixon claims several studies show that skatepark noise is not offensive and not loud enough to bother neighbors. My answer to that is to do a web search on “noise skate parks.”
Most lawsuits against the parks involve actual damaging noise. You will also find that the high-impact noise from skateboarders learning tricks like ollies and flipping the boards is not only 10 times louder than just gliding on concrete, but also extremely offensive. Using the softer wheels available can limit the noise, but skateboarders prefer the hard wheels.
The only way for parents to be certain of their children's skateboard safely is to be there. About 80 percent of all older teens have used drugs. Is a skatepark at Living Memorial Park immune from drug use? Guess again.
Elm Street is next to a research center, a school, the New England Youth Theatre, and the Boys & Girls Club, and skaters now use the surrounding streets with regularity. To scare people with lies and tell them they should bring a baseball bat to the site is not only offensive but also irresponsible.
Finally, all skateparks fail eventually if they are not maintained and checked often for cracks.
Our hard winters, with alternate thawing and freezing, can damage skateparks as easily they do our town roads. The location that is well-drained and stays dry will last the longest.
If you choose the Living Memorial Park location, at the lower eastern area, it could also fail. There are no guarantees.