During my first campaign for the Office of Mayor (2005), I met many young people in my travels around the city who clamored for a place where they could practice their sport of Skateboarding or BMX style Biking. I pledged to make this a reality as I believe that our city is more family friendly when we provide accessible recreational opportunities for our young people.
This week, a professionally designed and built Skate/Bike Park will open as part of the Cypress Park Recreational Complex. American Ramp Company is known throughout the United States for providing well designed parks and equipment that will stand the test of time. Pocomoke City will be only the second municipality on the shore to provide this recreational experience for our citizens (Ocean City being the other, however they do not allow bikes).
Registration will be required by those wishing to utilize the facility. The forms will be available at City Hall (downtown on Clarke Avenue) along with a complete list of the rules governing the park. Full safety equipment is required. City residents will pay no fees while those residing outside of the city will pay $25.00 at the time of registration.
The park is monitored 24/7 by police surveillance cameras which will focus on the Skate/Bike Park and Police Officers will monitor riders and conduct spot checks in the park to insure compliance with all rules and registration.
I encourage parents to take the time to come to the park and participate by observing the tricks and stunts performed by their own kids as well as others. Policing the park largely rests on the shoulders of those who use the facility. I ask for all who care about recreational opportunities in Pocomoke City to notify police of any potential problems before they get out of hand and to report any damage they may observe to the city.
This great facility represents a $65,000.00 investment in recreational opportunity by Pocomoke City. May it provide hours of entertainment for years to come.
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6 comments:
I have a couple of concerns and suggestions regarding the skate park.
#1 - The $25.00 fee for out of town residents. We have family members with boys that come and visit us once or maybe twice a year for the weekend. They usually come at a moments notice and arrive friday Evenings sometimes Sat Morning. With city hall monitoring and providing the passes etc, they won't be able to enjoy the park. I think the $25.00 is kinda high, but also, city hall won't be open, can something be negotiated with the police station for weekend travelers?
#2 Other than this website and my kids getting me information and a couple of articles in the paper, there hasn't been any thing telling parents exactly when the park will open. I think a press release or a letter sent home from school about the opening etc. would be very beneficial. With the requirement of all the safety equipment (approx) $75.00 and a trip to Salisbury to purchase the saftey equipment we need to know exactly when it is opening to get some or all of these items. I would hate for the park to open on Friday and I can't get to Salisbury til Sunday leaving my and probably other kids out of luck. I'm sure I'm not alone on this.
I appreciate your time and consideration to these matters and the work you have been doing to give our kids a place to be kids.
I had one more suggestion.
I googled skate parks in Maryland and each one that is listed most require all the safety equipment some just helmets. All of them though provide rentals. Is this something that the city may consider? I have checked on web sites and a basic skateboarding helment is approx. 25.00, knee pads and elbow pads will run you around 19.00-25.00 each. The cost of the safety equipment could be a hardship for some families. Just wanted to give you some food for thought!
Stacy,
Thanks for the feedback. Since ours is not a commercial park, the rental idea would not work. Perhaps a summer camp centered at the park may work for this, but this park will largely be self monitored. The city may be able to provide some free helmets through a grant which we received, but there are not guarantees on that end.
I do not believe it is unreasonable to offer a "guest pass" for someone who is simply visiting. I will think about how this could be worked out. Our primary concern is the safety of the users, hence the equipment requirement. No one should be skateboarding or biking without the vast majority of this safety equipment. For adults, only a helmet is mandatory, but for the kids (who are perhaps more reckless and daring), more is better.
Between the boards and the bikes, most have quite an investment already in the equipment end. We do not feel that requiring some basic safety equipment is too much to ask if it helps protect the users and the city (liability issues were certainly considered).
Our insurer also has something to say since they are agreeing to include the park on our inventory of property.
The park hours should be posted on our web site. The forms are also available on line and could be filled out by the guests prior to arrival. Any Notory could serve the purpose and the forms could be mailed in or dropped off at the police department.
I do hope your kids have a great time at the new park!
Thanks for the feedback, using the website for the forms is great, didn't know about that, could I get the full URL so i can keep it handy, thanks for the response - you've been very informative. I'm sure they will all have fun.
Mike,
Nice to see you pledge come to fruition.
Just wondering....now that we'll have increased PCPD presence at Cypress Park due to normal skatepark operation, what do you think about approaching Pepsi, Coke, or putting out a RFP for drink vending machine operation. It'd be nice to be able for the kids skating at the park or after a round of golf at Winter Quarters to be able to purchase a cold soft drink.
What to you think?
CL
The park looks great. Kindof a hassle getting the papers and all. Luckily I have a POA for my husband, what happens if their is only one parent or guardian? Also, what are the actual hours to have pictures taken, I have heard it is only from 8:00 to 2:00 Mon-Fri. Can you verify this? It isn't very convienient for working parents let alone students.
Thank you for getting info out to all of us.
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