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A Carthage City Council committee recommends the city move the skate ramps and rails and other items, evicted by a judge from the Fair Acres Sports Complex, to a more central location.
The Public Services Committee recommended the city build a new pad in Griggs Park at Centennial and Garrison avenues to install the skate park ramps and rails.
Parks Department Director Alan Bull said he looked at several locations for placing the park after Judge Gayle Crane ordered the city to move the ramps and other items from their current location on Fir Road on the south side of the Fair Acres complex.
Crane ruled in January in favor of the utility cooperative KAMO in its suit against the city claiming that it built the park in an easement belonging to the utility for more than 60 years.
A little less than half the 40-foot-by-80-foot concrete pad the city built to for the park was in KAMO’s easement.
Bull said he looked at other locations, including the east side of the Fair Acres complex near the water tower, closer to the Fair Acres Family Y on the west side of the complex, Municipal Park, Carter Park and Freer Park, but Griggs Park was more centrally located, closer to downtown.
“I like the Griggs Park area and you see kids skateboarding in the downtown area,” Bull said. “We’re putting the skate park in for the kids and to put it where they are not doesn’t make any sense. They have to hoof it to Fair Acres and Griggs is closer to downtown.”
City Administrator Tom Short said Fair Acres is geared more toward team sports, but skateboarding is an individual sport.
He said the fact that the skateboard park was close to the high school didn’t seem to affect its use.
Bull said Griggs Park already has an asphalt pad. He said the pad would have to be replaced with concrete, but it would only be a little bigger than the existing pad. He said there is more room at Fair Acres for future growth, but there is enough room to build a nice park at Griggs.
Short said the cost to build a new concrete pad would be in the neighborhood of $8,000.
Bull and Short said they would need to decide if additional fences are needed. Griggs Park is already fenced but another fence might be needed around the skate pad to prevent flying skateboard from leaving the pad and for other safety reasons.
Mayor Mike Harris urged the committee to make a recommendation on a location so the city can move on reinstalling the skate park.
“I think we’re obligated to get the skate park back up as soon as possible,” he said.
A Carthage City Council committee recommends the city move the skate ramps and rails and other items, evicted by a judge from the Fair Acres Sports Complex, to a more central location.
The Public Services Committee recommended the city build a new pad in Griggs Park at Centennial and Garrison avenues to install the skate park ramps and rails.
Parks Department Director Alan Bull said he looked at several locations for placing the park after Judge Gayle Crane ordered the city to move the ramps and other items from their current location on Fir Road on the south side of the Fair Acres complex.
Crane ruled in January in favor of the utility cooperative KAMO in its suit against the city claiming that it built the park in an easement belonging to the utility for more than 60 years.
A little less than half the 40-foot-by-80-foot concrete pad the city built to for the park was in KAMO’s easement.
Bull said he looked at other locations, including the east side of the Fair Acres complex near the water tower, closer to the Fair Acres Family Y on the west side of the complex, Municipal Park, Carter Park and Freer Park, but Griggs Park was more centrally located, closer to downtown.
“I like the Griggs Park area and you see kids skateboarding in the downtown area,” Bull said. “We’re putting the skate park in for the kids and to put it where they are not doesn’t make any sense. They have to hoof it to Fair Acres and Griggs is closer to downtown.”
City Administrator Tom Short said Fair Acres is geared more toward team sports, but skateboarding is an individual sport.
He said the fact that the skateboard park was close to the high school didn’t seem to affect its use.
Bull said Griggs Park already has an asphalt pad. He said the pad would have to be replaced with concrete, but it would only be a little bigger than the existing pad. He said there is more room at Fair Acres for future growth, but there is enough room to build a nice park at Griggs.
Short said the cost to build a new concrete pad would be in the neighborhood of $8,000.
Bull and Short said they would need to decide if additional fences are needed. Griggs Park is already fenced but another fence might be needed around the skate pad to prevent flying skateboard from leaving the pad and for other safety reasons.
Mayor Mike Harris urged the committee to make a recommendation on a location so the city can move on reinstalling the skate park.
“I think we’re obligated to get the skate park back up as soon as possible,” he said.
