Skateboarders unite, push for skate park
by Lindsay Hoeppner · June 09, 2010

Local skateboarding enthusiasts may finally see an end to their seven-year quest.

Lee Geertz, West Liberty State Bank vice president of deposit services, recently received a letter from West Liberty Mayor Chad Thomas, which stated that there is land set aside at the Dutton Athletic Complex for a skate park.

West Liberty skateboarders, however, are not sold on the idea just yet.

“They’ve lied to us so many times, so until they get everything done, I’m not going to believe anything,” said West Liberty High School sophomore Brian Noel Martinez.

The idea began in 2003 when a growing number of kids in West Liberty became interested in the extreme sport. They approached West Liberty High School counselor Harry Christofferson, who directed them toward the West Liberty City Council. The council told the group to gather information, at which time it would consider the skateboarder’s plans. The kids approached Geertz for help.

A year later, Geertz and the kids presented a proposal to the Parks and Recreation Commission, which then presented it to the council.

“Where the hold up came in was location, location, location,” Geertz said. “We took almost two years back and forth discussing a proper location.”

Several of the parks in town were eliminated as options because of the age of the children who normally play there. Because of the equipment at Railroad Park and Rainbow Park, which accommodate for very small children, Geertz did not feel the mix of younger children and older children would be appropriate or safe. Other areas were eliminated because of safety issues involving Highway 6.

In August 2005, the recommendation was made to the council to put the skate park in Kimberly Park. The recommendation was accepted, until other obstacles prevented the project from actually happening.

“Unfortunately, there were some council changes and there were other projects that took priority,” Geertz said. “There was also some concern with local residents around the Kimberly Park area.”

The proposed project seemingly hit a standstill thereafter.

“In small communities, you learn that if it’s a priority and if it’s something the community wants, it gets done,” Geertz said. “Unfortunately, I just don’t think that folks saw that as a top priority, and that’s understandable.”

The kids did not lose steam, however, and continued to hold community fundraisers.

A couple of months ago, Becky Vargas, a youth and family counselor for United Action for Youth, approached Geertz about the project.

“It’s part of my job to work with students and help them find positive things to do in the community,” she said.

Many of the students Vargas works closely with have continually discussed the option of a community skate park with her. As a result, she decided to reignite the flame on the affair and made it her Leadership West Liberty project.

What resulted was a success.

Geertz said the property designated for the skate park at the Dutton Athletic Complex is valued at $30,000.

“Now, we can finally move forward,” she said.

This week, she will meet with Rick Ertz with Outdoor Recreation Products, a Landscape Structures representative based in Elkhorn, NE, which specializes in playground and skate park equipment, to go over skate park designs and pricing.

“The kids want to keep it more of a street plan, so I’m pretty sure the budget can stay right around $30,000,” she said. “We want it to be reasonable to start off, and maybe do a phase I, phase II type of plan.”

Geertz said having a modular street skate park is important, because the kids are so used to skateboarding around town — from local businesses, streets and sidewalks to stairs and railings located around the area.

“The ultimate goal is to provide them a safe environment and to get them out of public areas,” she said. “What they don’t understand is that there’s risk involved and there’s damage that happens to concrete.”

Some of the kids, however, are already aware of such issues.

“When we skateboard, we accept the risk that we’re going to get hurt, and we’re not going to sue anyone just because we were skating there,” said West Liberty High School freshman Josh Marin.

“Anybody can break their leg playing basketball,” Martinez added. “Skateboarding is the same thing. We try not to go too far off our level so we get hurt. I’m not going to go on top of a building and try to jump off. We do it within our own limits, and we strive to get better. No one can reach perfection.”

Sophomore David Cavazos added that the group only performs tricks they are comfortable with.

“We all know what we can and can’t do,” he said.

Despite negative backlash heard community-wide about the group of skateboarders, Marin said it’s the creativity of the sport that draws kids to it.

“It’s your own sport,” he said. “You’re your own coach and your own critic. Whatever level of skate you want to be at, you can be at.”

Geertz said the creativity side of the sport isn’t the only aspect she wants community members to be aware of, though.

“Extracurricular activities such as basketball and football boost your self-esteem,” she said. “It’s no different with skateboarding or BMX bicycling or snowboarding. When children have something that they’re good at, it boosts their self-esteem. The other important thing here is that we have a group of children that wants to exercise. They want to do physical activities and be out and about instead of sitting in front of the TV.”

Geertz would know, as she speaks from experience.

In 2003, when she began working with groups of middle school and high school students to make the proposed skate park a reality, her sons, Ben and Cody, were young, avid skateboarders.

Through the struggle, however, she lost Cody.

“My goal would be, once the skate park is established, to provide a bench in memory of Cody, because that was one sport that did boost his self-esteem,” Geertz said. “He felt he was good at it and he achieved stunts and tricks that the average child couldn’t do.”

Currently, Geertz is working on writing grants to the Tony Hawk Foundation and the Joseph and Edward Ryan Trust to secure funding for the project.

It is her hope, as well as that of the 50-plus skateboarders, that the park becomes a reality this time around.

“There has never been any reason not to see the need for a skate park in this community,” she said.