July 6, 2008Vinton, keep the park openFor pete's sakes, let the kids skateboard! In typical fashion, the adults on the Vinton Town Council overreacted because a few bad apples have defaced a Gearhart Park skating area that, shamefully, town officials weren't taking care of anyway. So what did the town leaders do? Voted to close the skate park by the end of this month. There, that'll show those troublemaking kids. Problem is, the council's shortsighted decision hurts the good kids, too. What were council members thinking when they voted two weeks ago to close a park that young people, to their credit, raised half the money to build? Where did they suppose the 'boarders and BMX bikers could pop their wheelies and practice other X Game stunts? The business folks don't want them riding through town and in the Vinton Farmers Market. So where would they go? What would they do? Taking a page from civics class, a group of teens who use the park showed up at a meeting last week to politely ask the council to keep the park open. Council members showed some heart by scheduling a public hearing next week. The right gesture would be to reverse this boneheaded decision. The park was built in 2002 after authorities shooed the kids from the business area in town and made it clear they weren't welcome there. So the youngsters decided to raise $10,000 to get a park built. Score one for kid initiative, because they did raise the money. Their effort yielded a $10,000 matching grant from Roanoke County Parks, for a total of $20,000. In recent months, however, vandals have spray-painted graffiti, trashed water fountains and stolen trash cans or set them on fire. Not to mention the bright red sofa somebody dumped there. If the park has operated all these years but the vandalism became a problem only recently, that suggests the skaters probably aren't the ones destroying their own playground. According to interim Town Manager Consuella Caudill, the town wants to find another, more visible location for the park. If town officials want to do that, fine. But leave the current park open while searching for another site. Young people complain they have nothing to do, and these kids are no exception. Only Ebenezer Scrooge would shut down a popular outlet for young people -- in the middle of summer, nonetheless -- without providing an alternate spot for them. "If you close the skate park, there's going to be nowhere else for us to go," said skater Kyler Millman. Don't take away what they have. The alternative is bored kids, and as my mom used to say, "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." Clean the park, install cameras -- and let these kids skate. Shanna Flowers' column appears Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. |
About this blog In her signature plainspoken style, Michigan native Shanna Flowers peels away the layers and gets to the heart of the issues. No pretense. Just straightforward perspective. Shanna writes about local people whose circumstances reflect decisions made as near as City Hall or as far away as the halls of Congress. Other times, she weighs in on a topic because it is incredibly ridiculous. Or heartening. Or fascinating. Read Shanna's column three days a week, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, at roanoke.com
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Comments
[July 6, 2008 9:03 PM]
Ed S.I agree with you, Shanna. The park should remain open until a replacement can be opened.
I would hope that some of the park's users would be willing to volunteer time to clean up the graffiti on the park as a mitigating activity. I'm sure if they raised that much money (good on them!) they'd be willing to put one day on one weekend to a little clean-up.
The users have volunteered to help keep up the park. The original users six years ago did that. But many of them have grown up and moved on. This is actually a second generation of skaters, and they agreed last week to help keep it up.--s
[July 8, 2008 3:05 PM]
Ed S.A follow-up, if I may.
This is likely, as you said, a case of "outsiders" or someone that uses the park very infrequently causing the damage.
If you want to talk about an outright shame, look at the "soccer moms" (and yes, dads) that disgrace the soccer fields near Vineyard Park (I think it's Vineyard Park II? It's at the railroad track crossing off Berkeley Rd NE).
The park has *ample* parking, a huge gravel lot that sits in the middle of the four fields. Yet the parents/spectators insist on ignoring the lot and destroying the sides of the road by parking along the road or in the small grassy (used to be grassy) spot behind the entrance sign.
The kids are getting ready to run on the field for an hour or two, I don't think a 50 yard walk will kill them.
To me, it says something about the parenting, though. Honestly, there had to be some truth for the disparaging use of the term "soccer mom" to be started, and this is the proof in the pudding.
[July 9, 2008 9:18 AM]
Tereasa CarlescoI would love to help this new group of good children if they would like my help.
Wait just a minute guys!! I, President of Youth on Wheels that my son and his friends organized in 2001 raised the money for that park. Youth on Wheels is the original dedicated orginization. My son, his friends, and myself cleaned that park for over a year after it was opened. The kids of today are NOT the ones that raised the money!. These kids are a new group of awesome kids that want to save the park and yes they should help keep it clean. The kids of the past that built the park are not still responsible for that park. They have grown up, have children, jobs, marrried!. Why should the past kids be responsible for keeping it clean? Or why should I, Tereasa Carlesco, be responsible as a parent to keep it clean after all these years? I did my time, while all the other parents that were in my organization never made a day's effort to keep it clean and safe. So DO NOT PUT THE RESPONSIBILTY FOR THAT PARK BEING SAFE AND CLEAN ON THE CHILDREN WHO BUILT IT...This problem is going to arrise every 3 to 5 years as the children/young adults grow up, graduate, drive, work (which my son, Brandon works 2 JOBS) , get married. So YES to having the children that use it now help keep it clean along with the parents who drop them off there on a daily basis!..I can promise you that I would love to help this new group learn how to arrange a new organization to raise money for monitoring, or concrete to be poured at new location if Vinton can find the kids a new location to move the ramps too. This is ridiculous to put any responsiblity on the original builders of this park. My kids and myself and my organization had to raise $10,000 in 6 weeks before Town Council of Vinton and Roanoke County would even consider helping my kids. Luckily the Town of Vinton had a great Town Manager and Assistant Town Manager at that time that also applied for grants for Youth On Wheels, which gave Youth on Wheels more monies to spend on the park during building. Well my kids did it and so can these new kids! If the new group of children that want this park left open need to have the same heart, desire, devotion to make this park work!. NEVER PUT THE RESPONSIBILTY BACK UPON THE ORIGINAL BUILDERS OF THIS PARK. The only problem that Youth on Wheels had about building the park was where it was located. But we took what we were given. Now this new group can work with Vinton to have it monitored or moved. I suggest moving it to GOODE Park...The police drive down that gravel road in Goode Park daily. The only problem is a non-profit organization needs to be organized and the Town of Vinton and Roanoke County Parks and Rec. need to allow Vinton to move the skate ramps to Goode Park or any park in Vinton. All things must be approved through Rke.Cnty parks and Rec and Town of Vinton. If any parent and child needs/wants advice on how this WILL work to the advantage of the new group of kids using this park and want to save it, then call me! I was not able to make last nights meeting b/c of another appointment and would love for this new dedicated children and parents to contact me so that I can show them how to do this the right way and tax free! To contact me please call Mayor Brad Grose or Roanoke Times. My name is Tereasa Carlesco, original President of Youth on Wheels and would be more than willing to guide these children and their parents to save this park. There are many many little things that these children can do to raise money and save the park!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Tereasa Carlesco
[July 13, 2008 2:24 AM]
MikeMrs. Carlesco:
No doubt your heart is in the right place, but your statements suggesting that the original kids are being asked to care for the park seem to have been invented within the confines of your own mind. You may want to reread Shanna's blog and attempt to discern the real point of her story, that closing the park is a mistake. Nevertheless, I appreciate your willingness to contribute to the effort to provide the kids a place to gather for good clean fun.
[July 17, 2008 8:49 AM]
Tereasa CarlescoMike,
Sorry if it seemed that I was stating that the 'blog' suggested the original kids care for the park now. I wrote that because that is what I've been hearing from the meetings I've attended and from other children that will not use the park anymore because of the illegal acts at the park, not from Shanna's blog. I just wanted to make it clear how that park originally was built,how, why, and how the new group of young adults and children can help take action to keep the park open. During My first meeting with the Mayor I told the mayor to close that park immediately because of drugs,drinking and theft and vandalism. I don't want it to be shut down but only til the above can be taken care of. I believe it should also be a place for younger children to go also for riding their inline skates. But parents can't take their little ones to this park we have now because it's so bad. I would never take my little child there to skate or skate board or ride bikes in the condition the park is in and the illegal acts taking place. I would love to see the town and the new group of children raise monies to pour concrete at Goode Park and move the ramps. The new group could raise the money and have the concrete poured as Salem Skate park did by making the outter ring of the concrete just for children who want to use inline skates. While the inside part of the park would be for the skateboarders and bikers. They could also raise money to have bleacher seats set up like Salem did. The opportunity for these new children is wide open. The Town of Vinton is more than happy to work with any group of children and I'd love to see that this new generation accomplish their goals with their great ideas. I would love to help them and show them how it can be done and these kids would get what they wanted and probably more than they asked for. I apologise if it seemed that I was bashing Shanna's article but I did not intentionally mean for it to sound that way. Mike, I sent my 19 year old son to the skate park about a month ago just to spy! To find out what exactly was going on and it's not good. It's scary. 4 years ago a group of teenagers threatened my son and his friends. They stated to my son and his friends they were going to come back to the park and 'cap' them. Which we all know what that means -shoot them!! My son was shocked! Luckily nothing ever happened and that group of children never came back to 'cap' anyone. But that's the type of situations that happen there along with smoking dope, dealing drugs, drinking alcohol and fighting and sex.
It's terrible. I hope that the park can be moved more so than monitored with cameras. But it's not up to me. I'm just a voice that wants the children safe every single time they walk onto that park.
Thank you,
Mrs. Tereasa Carlesco
[July 20, 2008 11:36 PM]
MikeMrs. Carlesco:
Thanks for setting me straight on your prior post, and keep up the good fight as an advocate for the children, who so desperately need a safe place to gather and have good, clean fun. It sounds like you've been leading the charge on their behalf for quite some time.