By COOPER DAVIS

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.

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.

Vineyard skateboarders finally got a nod of approval Monday night
from the keepers of the 150-foot square of land they see as a potential
home for an Island skate park.

Skateboarders and their backers have high hopes for a meeting this Tuesday when board members at the Martha's Vineyard Ice Arena are expected to decide whether to lease arena land for use as a skateboard park.