This time of year, Riverhead’s only skate park is usually bustling with activity – the smack of skateboards hitting the pavement, teenagers laughing and shouting while they show off tricks to their friends.
But the Riverhead Skate Park has been empty since the beginning of the year, when it was shut down due to its deteriorating condition. The park is so badly in need of repairs that it’s no longer safe to skate in.
“There’s numerous boards in there that are so damaged to the point where we cannot use them,” said Ray Coyne, director of the town recreation department. “We’re at the point where the engineering department came in and told us it’s too dangerous. We had to shut it down.”
The park first opened more than a decade ago, after a group of teenagers at a town board meeting pleaded with local officials for a safe place to skate. But over the years, wear and tear have taken a toll on the park’s facilities.
“We have an overall comprehensive problem with maintenance of equipment,” said Ed Powers, recreation advisory committee member, at a committee meeting last week. “We get new equipment, we don’t do a thing to it, it falls apart and we use capital funds.”
And the cost of those repairs has added up. Though the damaged boards in question were last replaced under warranty five years ago, the warranty has expired, and no work has been done on them since. An independent construction company that specializes in skate parks gave the town a proposal today estimating repairs at $47,401.
The repairs will be paid for through developer’s fees, set aside by the town for the recreation department. The department has about $36,000 in reserve from recent development at Stoneleigh Woods off of Middle Road. But that is not enough to cover the proposal of almost $50,000.
Coyne plans to meet this week with representatives from Whirl Construction, the company handling the repairs, to see what repairs they can make with the money the department currently has.
“If I can open half the park, then I can do that for now,” Coyne said. “We’re trying to get this done as fast as possible.”
Riverhead’s skate park has offered teenagers a place to ride their skateboards without disturbing pedestrians or endangering themselves in parking lots. “A lot of these kids will go skate at shopping centers or hang out on the streets instead,” Coyne said. “This is a place for them to come and hang out and be safe.”
He added that the park is of “very minimal cost” for the residents.
The skate park’s yearly summer program has also been put on hold due to the park’s condition. “And that’s unfortunate,” he said. “That brings in a lot of kids.”
Coyne is hoping to get at least a portion of the park opened before the end of the summer.
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.