Fanwood Skate Park Questions Remain Unanswered, Resident Says

 This letter to the editor was submitted by Fanwood resident Michael Lewis.

To the Editor, Scotch Plains Patch:

The Borough Council of Fanwood will meet on Monday, November 18 at 7:30pm.  The Council will be voting on whether to allow construction of a $124,000 skateboard park at Forest Road Park.

Half of the funding will come from accumulated Recreation Department program revenues, with the remaining $62,000 coming from a grant from Union County.  If permission to build the skateboard park is granted it WILL be built.

Many concerns have been raised: Whether there is a true consensus that this should be built at all, whether it should be built at Forest Road Park and whether the concerns of neighboring homeowners can be / have been fully addressed; whether self-supervision alone – as contemplated – will be sufficient to prevent collisions or injury, whether it can be sufficiently well-maintained on a DAILY basis (as dictated by insurance best practice) to minimize liability exposure, whether the idea that this will remove bikers / BMX riders from the streets has been oversold, whether this was even a high priority in the first place and whether it would be possible to petition for reallocation of the grant money to potentially allow construction of other capital projects. All of these concerns have been downplayed – they have NOT been fully answered.

It should be remembered that a similar facility was constructed at LaGrande Park many years ago with wonderful intentions and much fanfare – it fell into disuse and, eventually, disrepair. Although any new facility WILL BE more durable,  there has been NO other credible response to how the experience of a new skateboard park will differ from that of the previous one.

I ask anyone with an interest in the construction of this park – good or bad – to voice their thoughts. There are many questions that need to be answered, and presently, indifference is being interpreted as acceptance. Please let your voice be heard.

Respectfully,

Michael Lewis
Fanwood

READ MORE:

Fanwood Skate Park Idea Draws Praise and Criticism from Residents

Should Fanwood Build a Skate Park?