Sawmill Creek Skate Park to Reopen Monday After Closing Due to Graffiti

After being closed for about a week, Anne Arundel County Department of Recreation and Parks issued a letter to residents stating that it will reopen the skate park at Sawmill Creek Park in Glen Burnie.

The department closed the park May 6 after complaints of graffiti that at times included foul language and gang signs, said Rick Anthony, director of recreation and parks, in the letter.

"It is an Anne Arundel County Department of [Recreation and] Parks policy that all disrespectful graffiti/language/symbols is removed within 48 hours of discovery. Frankly, we do not have the staff to continually monitor and clean up the skate park, so we closed the park," Anthony wrote in the letter.

Users and parents of users of the skate park took to the department's Facebook page to voice their displeasure with the park's closing.

Glen Burnie resident Kim Thompson said that while her 13-year-old son doesn't use Sawmill Creek Park often, she wants the option to be there for him.

"The skateboard park is an asset to our area and all of Anne Arundel County. Our children need a place to go that is safe. Skateboarding in the streets and parking lots is just not a good alternative. Having the skateboard park at Sawmill Creek Park allows our children to get exercise and fresh air, and to socialize in a safe environment," she said in an interview with Patch.

Brennan took a lesson at the park when he was 11, she said, and has been skating ever since.

"Please reopen Sawmill Creek Skate Park! That's where my son learned to skate and I'd love for him to still be able to use it. As long as I can remember, graffiti has been a big part of the skateboarding culture!" she wrote on the department's Facebook  page.

Her sentiments about the culture of skateboarding and graffiti were echoed by many on the Facebook page. But Anthony said the county does not allow graffiti on their property.

"All users of Sawmill Creek Park must respect and adhere to the rules and regulations. That means that NO graffiti is permitted at the park. If this continues to be an ongoing community and maintenance issue I will have no reservation about closing the skate park again," Anthony said in the letter.