A glimpse into what it is like living near skate park

Opinion: By The Vindicator | August 24, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

EDITOR:

On Aug. 8, I took the liberty of naming Struthers Skate Park, “profanity park.” It’s quite fitting.

After the media got a hold of the story we finally got the attention of our city officials. Three years of complaints and hundreds of calls to the police accomplished nothing.

On Aug. 14, The Vindicator ran a story that the city is putting up more signs — something else for the kids to ignore. Maybe these are real scary signs. The ones that are there now are used as targets.

There are cameras on the front of the city garage that Mr. Wilde assures me are wired to monitors.

Who’s watching them?

We’ve been through the cycle of park closures to show the kids what will happen if they misbehave. They can’t skate for a few days. Then the lock comes off and it’s business as usual.

Drinking coffee on my porch one morning there was only one boy in the park on a skateboard. He looked around and, apparently not seeing me on my porch, proceeded to urinate behind a ramp and continued to skate. Lovely. Who was watching the monitors then? Or when two kids grabbed their buddy and dumped him headfirst into a garbage can. I wish they could use the can for their candy wrappers and soda bottles that litter the neighborhood.

Signs will change nothing. There is a sign that states the park closes at dusk, yet night skating has become very popular. The park hasn’t been closed at dusk since it was opened without a call to the police. If an officer is available he shows up and tells the kids to leave. No lock.

The police shouldn’t be bothered with the park. They are not babysitters. But what choice do we have?

Contrary to popular belief I don’t hate kids or skateboarders.

I’ve taken some criticism for putting up the sign, but what options do my neighbors and I have? I am a newcomer to the neighborhood having only been here 16 years; most have been here 30 to 60 years. They have raised their kids. Why can’t they enjoy visiting with their grandchildren in peace and quiet?

We were not asked if we wanted the park. We found out about it when they broke ground.

The people around Mantle were asked. They declined.

So here we are trapped paying taxes on homes we are unable to leave.

If the mayor wants us to be comfortable in our homes, close the park until a suitable location can be found. When the park reopens, I will once again be forced into the garage where we hand paint our signs. The neighbors are placing their orders now.

STEVE MORGAN

Struthers

What a silly battle

EDITOR:

The possibility of V&M Star Steel pulling out of this area due to two cities fighting over 80 acres of contaminated property that nobody wants is beyond belief. It proves how and why this area never grows.

All of us should join hands, and make this area one, like other cities, yet we still try to hold onto nothing that’s left here.

Girard lost all or most of its industrial land; so did Youngstown.

Here we have the potential of $970 million project coming to this area, 500 jobs at $60,000 average, and we are going to send it down the tubes like Sheet & Tube Co.

So, Girard, will still have Jib-Jab Hot Dogs, Kuzman’s, the Golf Dome and Avon Oaks. Youngstown will have more vacant mills. Seems like a good trade.

LOUIS YAWORSKY

Canfield