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Jul032008

Skateboarding is not a crime, and littering is only a violation

Filed under skateboarding by andrew wolfe at 3:52 pm

It’s pretty clear that the powers that be Hudson have about had it with the town’s skate park, and that’s a shame, but perhaps a good chance for some more progressive thinking group to score some nice ramps cheap.

 

Hudson selectmen have been frustrated by vandalism at the park ever since it opened in 2002, and they have consistently responded by locking it up.

 

I’ve noticed a lot of speeding and other dangerous behaviors on Route 102, Lowell Road and other thoroughfares in town. People have died, in some cases, and I can’t help but notice the roads remain open.

 

The official attitude toward the park is reflected loud and clear in the Selectmen’s meeting minutes:

 

“The Money Pit (Skate Park) They’ve all gotten e-mails from Highway, now that it’s skateboard season. Anything that is breakable has been broken. The trash is excessive. They need to ask the Recreation Committee what their plan is for dealing with this. Highway doesn’t need to spend every day policing the area. This is going to be a non-stop expenditure of monies and he is told a lot of cars have MA plates on them. If they keep this open, they will be spending money for no reason. Selectman Jasper said it appears from the flurry of e-mails, the Rec Committee will be dealing with that tomorrow night. They should go along with the idea of ceasing its use as a skateboard park and put in a couple portable basketball hoops. If the damage and debris continue to pile up, then they have to do something else with it. It’s unfortunate that the few ruin it for the many, but they can’t put a lot of resources into this; it’s a constant problem.”

 

The meeting minutes are available online, it goes on in that vein for quite a while.

 

Nashua’s skate park is nearby, and draws essentially the same crowd of kids. Indeed, my experience is that the Hudson park attracts a younger, gentler bunch of skaters. There have been occasional problems in Nashua, too (note the lack of soda machines or any portable toilets there), but nothing the city hasn’t been able to ignore.

 

For the most part, it looks pretty trashy. The kids don’t seem to mind much. They clean up the trash when it gets in their way. In fact, Nashua’s Parks and Recreation Department even sponsors weeklong skate camps at the skate park. They’re really good, affordable and lots of fun.

 

Vandalism is obnoxious and offensive, and anyone caught at it should be punished accordingly, but I can’t recall the last time that littering or tagging killed somone. Reading the town officials’ prattle, me thinks that Hudson selectmen are perhaps too easily offended, and more than a tad self-righteous.

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