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12/22/2003: "Skate Park Progressing"

Milder weather today gave workers an opportunity to begin constructing the various ramps and other equipment in the new skate park along Constitution Avenue in Perkasie. Early snow and cold weather prevented work from being completed by Thanksgiving as originally hoped.

The large octagonal concrete pad for the pavilion has been completed, and the pavilion itself has arrived and will be constructed as weather permits. The new traffic signals have also been installed and work is almost complete on them. Paving of the roadways and construction of the sidewalks is essentially complete. But much of the landscaping will not be finished until spring.

Replies: 20 comments

i think this is a great park, and very enjoyable, but there needs to be more stuff to skate soon its a little plain. The price for a membership is a bit to high to but overall its awesome to spend my time at

Thank you

i think your park sucks horribly and that it sucks even more that you have to pay.So i will never skate there.

Sincerely,
Ryan Sheckler

Irish -- more equipment is on the way! Not all of it has arrived yet. Hopefully it will be here and installed within a couple of weeks. Unfortunately, however, Borough Council voted tonight to close the park until the rest of the equipment arrives, so no more free skating. If you're unhappy with that, let Council know! Flamin' Harry McGonigal initiated that action.

Ryan -- sorry you feel that way; you sound like a spoiled rich kid! The park cost a lot of money to build; who do you propose pay for it? Unlike the rest of the park system, it only directly benefits those who use it (just like the swimming pool, which isn't free either!), so it seems fair to ask the users to pay the cost, doesn't it? Who paid for your skate board? Or was that free, too?

BTW, the skate park has been free to users so far, but as I noted above, that ended tonight. Let Borough Council know if you think that was as poorly advised as I do!

first off, this person that posted there name as Ryan Sheckler isn't Ryan Sheckler...Ryan is a pro skateboarder and would respect the fact that the town is even giving these kids a park...second off, even with the plain layout a real skateboarder would still be able to have fun...

I think its great there putting in a skate park, the only downside i see is them letting Bikes in the park, mostly everyone in the akte and inline industrey knows that bikes ruin the ramps...why do you think no one fequents Shrimervill SkatePark in Emmaus...because of bikes. But if the kids can have fun then i see no real problem with it.

I find it hard to believe that you feel that closing the skate park until it is finished and staffed is a bad idea. Sort of like opening the pool and allowing children to dive into it before adding the water. As a person who says they want the best for perkasie you don't seem to care about the safety of the children and of lawsuits. As I read your blob for the last time it seems that you are just mad about loosing the election and only speak negative about council now. It's to bad you are like that.

The park was unfinished only in that one major ramp system, ordered later than the rest, hadn't arrived yet, and the storage shed being built by the Tech School hadn't arrived yet. Neither of these create a safety issue or even a usability issue, so your pool analogy isn't even close. As to staffing, it was being staffed by borough staff -- just not by the person who will be hired specifically for that position. Are you saying you'd rather have the kids skating in the streets? The previous Council's intention was to give them a place safer to skate than the streets. The new Council's primary concern seems to be "CYA, who cares about the kids."

As to your personal comment, I originally wanted to serve another term on Council to finish two primary projects that were incomplete at the time of the Primary: the park expansion, and the electric contract, both of which I felt (as did most of my constituents) were very important to the borough, and into which myself and other Council members had invested many hours of research and planning. As it turns out, both projects were substantially completed before the end of the year, so I'm happy to have my Mondays back. (Unfortunately, most voters didn't realize how significant the Primary election was, and stayed home!) If I'm mad about anything, it's about the way the election was engineered by one person (Perkasie's Republican machine, Bill Hettel) and that the few voters who came out were so railroaded into electing someone who hadn't even attended a single Council meeting during the whole year previous to his election (McGonigal).

Oh, btw, it's a blog (commonly used shortened term for Weblog), not a blob.

How much will admission be?

Seems to me this was just another way for council to try and postpone the opening of the park again. There were absolutely no problems at the park during its brief unveiling. The equipment was safe (after all professionals built the equiptment) Everyone wore their helmets and respected one and other including bikers and skaters that were there several times together enjoying the park they created. There WAS supervision there around the clock not to mention a handful of parents showed up as well. Though the park was not complete I give a hudge thumbs up to Borough Manager John Cornelius. You made a great decision. You gave the kids a place to go and enjoy their vacation. One question for Councilman McGonigal, "Do you have kids?" and if you do I ask "where would you rather them be?"

I think its cool there building that skate park i just think it should be free. I'd rather it be free but what ever...

FREE

THIS SKATEPARK BETTER BE GOOD

If the skatepark was built with tax payer dollars, by law it must be free to the public. Do the kids that use the baseball diamonds or basketball courts have to pay? Someone needs to speak to the Borough solicitor on this matter. Also, all the political mumbo jumbo on this site is a joke. Seems like some of you grownups act more like kids than anyone using your park system. Get a grip Harry, these kids are doing something they love to do. Abandon the stereotypes and learn the fine art of tolerance.

Tom -- what law says that?!! The pool isn't free; lights at the tennis courts and basketball courts aren't free; many interstates, turnpikes, parkways, bridges, parking areas, etc. are built with taxpayer dollars and they aren't free. I could go on and on ...

Bob, Do you charge to use the basketball and tennis courts? The pool and other references require hired staff to operate. A skatepark is unlike a pool in that you do not need lifeguards, snackbar help and the like.Check with your solicitor. Thanks.

There is a charge to use the tennis courts and basketball courts at night (for lights). And, like the pool, the skate park has hired staff to operate. At least one person is always on duty when it's open. The income from skate park admission is intended to help pay that staff person's wages.

Bob, last question, did the borough obtain any state grants to build the skatepark? I live in Lancaster County and was thinking of visiting your park this weekend. Thanks.

The skate park was just one part of a much larger park expansion. And yes, the Borough did get a state grant toward the overall expansion (not specifically toward the skate park) -- I don't recall the amount, but it was a smaller percentage of the cost of the overall expansion, and much less than the cost of the skate park itself.

The majority of community skateparks are free. You folks have spent alot of money for something that will not be used very much. Denver,Ephrata, Lancaster and Lititz PA built community skateparks that are free to use. If you are concerned about vandalism and rules violations, let the police department perform a routine cruise through or get the parents involved. The kids will self-govern if you give them a chance provided the local government isn't too close-minded. This country was built on the spirit of tolerance,can Perkasie City Government demonstrate what our founding fathers did. Please consider making this park free to use. Thank you.

woww if that is ryan sheckler dont talk to him like that! Ryan your awesome and i dont think your a spoiled rich kid at all