Empty basketball court in Island Park

All the homemade skate rails and ramps have been removed from the basketball court in the Island Park playground. Today, there is only a smooth, empty asphalt surface.

But the process did not go without a hitch. According to Portsmouth Police Chief Lance Hebert, folks who had built the gear were advised by the town that it had to be removed due to liability concerns. As the ramps were being removed last night, Hebert said "officers responded for a disturbance."

One witness told me that a group of youths were congregating on Highland Avenue expressing their dissatisfaction at this turn of events. Hebert said, "A complaint was filed by a person who lives adjacent to the park which is being investigated by police at this time."

"Our main goal as a Police Department is to keep the peace in that area as best we can," Hebert said.

I join Chief Hebert in urging that all sides to keep this process peaceful and respectful of our neighbors and our community. There is a political process underway, and if people want to speak out, I would urge them to continue to put pressure on the Town Council.

For my part, I agree that liability concerns need to be addressed. However, this turn of events makes me question whether a long-term solution — like a promised facility in the old Town Dump — represents a complete answer, since it would be years off. That doesn't meet the needs of our kids right now.