Supporters of the proposed Island Park skate park will want to show up at the Portsmouth Town Council meeting tomorrow night to offer public comment on an agenda item: "Concerns regarding location of proposed skateboard park, R. Riley." According to sources, a group has been circulating a petition expressing concerns about the project and placed the item before the council.

Lori Rinkel, one of my neighbors, did the preliminary work on the skate park proposal and secured the approval of the Council last October to move forward with grant proposals, including participation in a Community Development Block Grant approved at a meeting in April.

At just 2,400 square feet, the proposed space is smaller than many Portsmouth backyards. "You don't get a lot for $50K," said Rinkel in an interview today. "In fact, even the guy who drew up the plans said people are going to drive right by this park and not want to skate it." Rinkel said she had not seen the petition.

I'm assuming this is the same R. Riley who last month had letters in the Sakonnet Times and Newport Daily News. Couldn't find Riley's letter to the editor on the Sakonnet Times site, but it was still available in Google's cache here.

I must confess, I don't find the arguments presented in this letter particularly compelling, and I'm hoping that folks will turn out tomorrow night to support this effort to give our kids a fun space to play.

Full disclosure: I live in Island Park and support the skate park.