News
Little Silver Considers Skateboard Park
By Sherry Conohan
LITTLE SILVER - In response to a request from some parents, the Borough Council is exploring the possibility of establishing a skateboard park.
The council has had it's eye on Santelle Park by the river but at Tuesday's Borough Council workshop meeting Mayor Suzanne S. Castleman tossed out the idea of taking one of the basketball courts in the center of town for the skateboard park and letting the kids bring their own devices to skate off of .
Councilman Jonathan H. Bitman, however, objected to letting the skateboarders bring their own devices. He noted they generally are made of plywood, which often is delaminating, and look terrible.
"It would look like Tobacco Road," he said.
The council initially thought of building the skateboard park at Santelle Park as the borough undertakes renovations there. The plans include rebuilding the tennis court, replacing the tot lot and fixing the basketball court.
When Bitman and Borough Administrator-Clerk Michael D. Biehl met with residents in the area of Santelle Park a year or so ago, the residents had no objection to building a skateboard park within the park, according to Biehl.
Bitman was the council's recreation liaison at the time.
Councilman David E. Gilmour said he would like to have the Recreation Commission do a survey on the use of the basketball courts and tennis courts in town to see how heavily used they are. He said it should be an on-the-spot survey as opposed to a mailed survey.
Councilman Daniel J. O'Hern Jr., the current liaison to the Recreation Commission, said he would bring the suggestion to the Recreation Commission when it met the next night.
Councilman Stuart W. Van Winkle, who overseas insurance for the borough, said if the borough does go ahead and establish a skateboard area, the council will have to adopt an ordinance banning skateboarding everywhere else in town in order to meet the requirements of the Monmouth Municipal Joint Insurance Fund (JIF).
The council has no estimated cost at this time for building a skateboard park and doesn't know how it would be financed, the members said in response to a question. Bitman noted the council hasn't decided yet if it's going to do anything.
During the meeting, Bitman brought up the idea of possibly charging an annual fee and having a badge for use of the skateboard park, should one be built.
The borough cannot count on any financial help from Shrewsbury.
The skateboard park was one of the items brought up in a wide-ranging discussion by council members from the two towns on possible shared services.
But when Shrewsbury Mayor Terel Cooperhouse reported back to his council on April 6 on the meeting he and Councilman Kevin Murphy had with their counterparts in Little Silver on shared services and asked their thoughts on possibly jointly doing a skateboarding park, the idea received a cool reception.
Councilman Matthew Keegan said he was opposed to using borough funds for the skateboard park, but if a grant could be gotten he would be all for it.
Murphy said he would prefer to approach the YMCA in Red Bank about undertaking such a project as it would become a community activity.
Councilman William Dodge proposed tabling the issue.
Cooperhouse said one option Little Silver was considering was renting a bus to take children from that borough to the county skateboard park in Long Branch.
Castleman, the Little Silver mayor, observed that this isn't the first time the idea of a skateboard park has been kicked around by the borough's governing body. She recalled it previously came up about five or six years ago.
