Life at The Ledge: Skateboarders Soar, and Wait for New Park
By JULIA WELLS
It's a weekday afternoon in downtown Vineyard Haven, and the
sounds of early autumn are all around. On Centre street, a narrow side
lane that angles steeply west of Main street, a light breeze ruffles the
canopy of venerable old shade trees. But on this day there is also
another, more distinctive sound in the air. It's the whack of
composite hitting pavement, followed by the low thunder of wheels
rolling.
Less than two months after earning rights to share the new
Martha's Vineyard Skatepark, bikers are once again being told to
keep out.
The reversal came Monday night during an emotional parks department
meeting moments after commissioners heard pleas from teenage bikers
anxious to stay in the park. In the end, commissioners bowed to the
advice of Oak Bluffs' insurance agent and town counsel to ban
bikers.
It was built for skateboarders after a grassroots effort that lasted
years, but less than three months after the Martha's Vineyard
Skatepark opened in Oak Bluffs, the skaters are dealing with some
uninvited guests - bicyclists.
School is back in full swing and already there is a test. This time, it’s not a question of passing or failing, but of doing the best trick and bringing home the cash. So put down the number two pencils and break out the skateboards. Saturday, skaters of all ages and all levels are invited to turn out to the Martha’s Vineyard Skate Park, listen to some live music and hop on their boards.
The grass parking lot of the West Tisbury Fire Station was filled with some classic Vineyard vehicles — Volvo wagons, small pickups and of course, Subarus. Some cars were left running, stereos sending reggae music wafting through the stiff April winds. The bleachers were crowded with Islanders young and old, braving the sunny but chilly day to witness the first annual Island kickball classic.
Calling it a danger to those who skateboard there, an insurance inspector for the town of Oak Bluffs has called for the town skate park on the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven road to be closed immediately.
Paul Chipman, senior risk control consultant for the town’s insurance carrier Trident Insurance, sent a letter to town administrator Michael Dutton on March 19 laying out his concerns about hazardous conditions at the park, while recommending it be closed immediately.
The recommendation from an Oak Bluffs town insurance inspector on the skate park came out of the blue last week, catching everyone by surprise, including the nonprofit organization that operates the park across the road from the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School. Citing equipment safety hazards and liability concerns, the insurance inspector has recommended that the park be closed.
Oak Bluffs will allow the skate park on the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road to remain open, despite a recent call from the town insurance carrier to shut it down because of safety concerns.
Town administrator Michael Dutton this week said highway superintendent Richard Combra, town police and superintendent of schools Dr. James H. Weiss met recently with Elaine Barse, president of the Martha’s Vineyard Skate Park Association, to discuss the issues at the park.
Nate Sprague remembers what it was like not to have a skate park on the Island. Lots of running from the cops to avoid hefty fines or a confiscated skateboard.
“It was fun, because we would get chased by the cops,” he joked, sitting on a bench overlooking the park this week. “That was cool, being a little kid. You see it in the movies.”
