Young People Ask Gloucester City Council For Skatepark | GCN
Wednesday, February 08, 2012
By Sara Martino
Gloucester City News
The seats at last week Gloucester City Council meeting were filled with young people who had come to request permission to have a Skateboard Park.
Mayor William James said he did not know about any formal design until he saw the plan on the front page of the Gloucester City News.
Resident Bill Gugel, who designed the proposed plan he would like to see built on Johnson Boulevard, said that this was not the first time that a request was made for a park for the young people to use.
“The kids that do use other courts are chased off,” Gugel said.
Currently, the land south of Nicholson Road where the softball and baseball fields used to be is being remediated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as part of its thorium cleanup in Gloucester City.
“Our big concern is funding,” Mayor James said. “The city north of here gets every penny we should get. But, I have no control over it. I commend you, and your designs are terrific.”
The mayor said he was not opposed to a skatepark, “but we have to through a budget process. The Fire Department needs a new fire truck, police vehicles are needed, and streets must be paved.
“These needs are designated as Capital Improvements in the budget. We are waiting to hear if a decision has been made in a grant request for funds,” James said.
“We would have to check with our insurance holders in the Joint Insurance Fund (JIF) to see how much the cost would be for such an addition in the recreation department,” Councilman Daniel Spencer said.
“We are concerned about the request and the need for the children to have a safe park. Councilman (Bruce) Parry is very active with the youth sports in the city. We do not ignore the youth,” City Council members said.
A resident said the kids play on polluted ground.
“I played on the some of the same grounds when I was a kid,” the mayor said. “We are in the process of cleaning up all the polluted areas.”
Mayor James suggested that those interested in having the skateboard park should form a committee, create a petition and have meetings with the Public Works Council Committee.
In other business, James gave the Oath of Office to Kenneth Iepson, who was promoted to the rank of Sergeant in the Gloucester City Police Department.
Iepson was surrounded by his family as he was sworn in during the meeting.
A request from the Gloucester City PBA Local 40 was honored with a moment of silence for Gloucester City Patrolman Blackburn, the only officer killed in the line of duty in 1946.
The Police Union is asking City Council to consider building a monument for Officer Blackburn.
The next regular Council meeting will be Thursday, February 23, in City Hall, 313 Monmouth St.
