IP Skate area at Council Monday night

The agenda for Monday night's Portsmouth Town Council meeting features an old business item asking the Council for a decision on the skate area in Island Park -- please be there, or if you can't make it, let the Council know how you feel.

Old business item three, requested by "B. Whittier" is "Request for a Decision on the Placement of a Skate Park in Island Park/Formation of a Portsmouth Skate Park Committee." Looks like the the Council is going to be forced to take a position. Here's what I hope they will consider.

At the community meeting requested by the Council last week, there was no agreement to be found. Despite the best efforts of several elected officials, the same stalemate prevailed: opponents of the skate park refused to budge.

I have struggled with reporting on last week's meeting. It was not, in a very real sense, an official public meeting, and so reporting on the intemperate characterizations and angry rhetoric would serve no purpose. They are my neighbors, and although they said things which I consider to be hurtful and misinformed, the expectation of public dissemination implied by an "open meeting" does not attach.

What I think the community *should* know is that there was no compromise. All the concessions have come from the supporters of the skating area. In the course of several negotiating sessions, we abandoned the original design, changed the location within the park, and scaled the footprint way back.

The kids of Island Park have already created a makeshift skate area on the basketball court in the playground with home-built rails and ramps. The proposal on the table is to move them onto a same-sized area with safer equipment. The skate area will be subject to a probationary period for evaluation, and the equipment can be removed if there are issues.

The essence of compromise is that *both* sides are expected to be a little unhappy. I would expect that the Council, in seeking a fair resolution to this issue, ensure that both sides give a little. I hope you'll consider attending the meeting Monday to help the Council make their decision.

Can't be there? You can reach the Town Council at these e-mail addresses (hlittle@portsmouthri.com, dcanario@portsmouthri.com, kgleason@portsmouthri.com, khamilton@portsmouthri.com, jplumb@portsmouthri.com, jseveney@portsmouthri.com) and their phone numbers available on the Portsmouth Web site.

If you're on Facebook, check out the "Support the IP Skate Park" group.

Full disclosure: I am a member of the leadership team of the IPRA and (pretty obviously) a supporter of the skate park.

Comments

As a resident of Island Park, I don't understand how the Town Council would overturn their original decision because as it appears to me there are an overwhelming amount of people in Island Park that support the Skate Park. What an ironic concept, if the Town Council in the town of Portsmouth the birthplace of American Democracy takes the opinion of the few over the majority.

Hay John thanks for your continued support I hope the Council will do the right thing for the kids

Portsmouth Pride