TRR photo by Charlie Buterbaugh Eric Hector, left, Tim Gorzynski,Shane Cardone and Willie Shaffer, have no place to skate on Main Street where signs prohibit the sport. (Click for larger image)

Kids seek support for skatepark

By CHARLIE BUTERBAUGH

NARROWSBURG, NY — What does Narrowsburg offer kids who live in town?

Adults travel far to visit the antiques shops, galleries and restaurant, but local kids are hard-pressed to find a place meant to pique their interests, according to Eric Hector, a ninth-grader living in Narrowsburg.

What else could they possibly want during their youth?

Hector and his friends want a place to skate.

“We have nowhere to go, and we just want a safe place to skateboard and not get in trouble,” ninth-grader Willie Shaffer told the Tusten Town Board at an August 11 meeting.

Two “no skateboarding” signs hang in Main Street storefronts, and the kids are continually chased from the town hall.

It seems Narrowsburg is not alone; Callicoon banned skateboarding to rid the hamlet’s Main Street of noise and damage caused by skateboard wheels landing on benches or boards sliding on rails. But Delaware Community Center President and Town Clerk Tess McBeath met the kids’ needs when she helped them raise money to construct a skate park with a few ramps at the center’s basketball court.

McBeath said the center encouraged skateboarders and friends to raise money, and three dances with live bands were organized to benefit the cause. The kids also sold flags at two tractor parades and raised roughly $1,500. The youth center scrolled money away and contributed about $3,500 to obtain the props for a modest park, McBeath said.

“If they’re skateboarding, they’re out of trouble” is a sentiment expressed by many parents and local officials, but the combined obstacles of funding, location and injury may indicate to those in power that an impasse exists between a skater and a legal curb to land on.

Tusten Supervisor Richard Crandall expressed concerns about injury and the cost of liability insurance, and the town board stressed the need for a location before construction of a park is even considered in the town.

McBeath addressed the first problem when she researched injury liability, consulted an attorney and created waiver and medical release forms skaters and their parents must sign before they skate at the park.

While the forms may not rule out injury and liability claims, they will serve as mitigating factors if a lawsuit should develop. The Delaware Community Center is responsible for the unsupervised park, not the town.

It remains uncertain whether the Narrowsburg kids will be able to find the support to determine a location and push through legal considerations.

“Our kids have put as much work into it as we have. They put driveway sealer down on the park and removed weeds. We haven’t had any problems so far,” McBeath said.

“When I skate, I forget everything else on my mind, even if I’m really angry,” Tim Gorzynski said. “It’s like self-expression.”

“You fellas talk to your parents. I’ll call the insurance company to see what it would cost,” Crandall said.