Skateboard Park Proposed In Killington

Vermont Standard

By Curt Peterson

Standard Correspondent

killington — Two young men, Jon Hough and Tucker Zink, approached the select board at Tuesday evening’s meeting with an idea — they want to build a public skateboard park on townowned land and help make it a part of the town’s recreation program.

Zink is the general manager of Darkside Snowboards on killington Road.

“Like everyone else in killington, we suffered from the lack of snow this winter,” Zink said. “We sold snowboards, but business could have been a lot better. I think a skatepark would bring three-season business to town and be part of the ‘fourseason resort’ concept the town ispromoting.”

Hough and two partners manufacture Dex Skateboards in Derry, New Hampshire, and he works for Parker Construction, Inc., a firm that designs and builds skateboard parks.

“We’re building the skatepark on Glen Road in West Lebanon,” Hough said.

The facility Zink and Hough are proposing would cover between 10,000 and 20,000 square feet. Made of steel and concrete, the infrastructure would emulate skating situations in urban areas such as Boston or New York where skateboarders expose themselves to the dangers of traffic and expose passers-by to the risk of being hit or run over by a skateboarder.

“Skateparks are safer for the skaters, and less annoying and dangerous for drivers and pedestrians,” Zink said.

The men would like to have the park at a very visible site to attract tourists and visitors passing by, but they think a part of the recreation area on River Road would be appropriate as well.

Select board chairman Patty McGrath asked if Zink and Hough had spoken with killington’s Recreation Director Kim Peters.

“We have reached out to her, but haven’t had any response,” Zink said.

Selectman Chris Bianchi suggested they meet with the citizens on the Recreation Commission first.

“Put together some kind of proposal,” Bianchi said, “then present it to the commission. If you can get them to support the idea, Kim Peters will work with you on the project.”

Zink and Hough said they would be very involved from the start, including organizing fundraisers such as raffles, skateboard events at other venues and seeking grants. The men estimate the killington facility would cost between $80,000 and $120,000 to build.

According to Zink, famous skateboarder Tony Hawk’s foundation provides grants to build new public parks, and supported one in Rutland.

The Tony Hawk Foundation does award skatepark construction grants up to $25,000, competition for which, their website says, is very stiff. The site also lists among requirements to be considered for a grant that the new park be situated in a low-income area or in one in which there is a “high population of at-risk youth,” and that the park is free and open to the public during daylight hours 365 days a year, two criteria that might be a challenge for killington to meet.

Questioned about safety, Hough and Zink said pads and helmets would not be required.

“We believe that safety should be up to the skaters themselves,” Zink said.

According to him some of the older skaters choose to wear protective gear, but most of the younger skaters shun the pads and helmets.

“If you require them to wear the helmets they won’t come to the park,” Zink said. “But they won’t stop skating – they’ll just go somewhere less safe.”

He added that there have been no deaths at public skateparks, a statistic that is backed up by the skateparks.org website. According to them there were 26 skateboardrelated deaths in 2015, the majority in California, and all of them occurred on public streets and not in skateparks.

The men have discussed their skatepark proposal with killington Police Chief Whit Montgomery, who, they said, is very supportive of their idea.

Zink said he expects the town to add the park to its insurance coverage, as that’s what most towns do when a public park is built on municipal land.

In other news, Town Manager Deb Schwartz brought up killington’s town slogan, “The Heart of The Green Mountains,” saying she felt it might be something more proactive and less sedate. She introduced Amy Morrison, the events and marketing coordinator for the town, who has been working on the project. The welcome signs around town are due to be refinished in July, and Morrison agreed with Schwartz that a new slogan would be a good idea.

“The old slogan was created during the 1990s,” Morrison said, “and an update right now would be simple and an improvement.”

She said some of the slogans currently under consideration are: “Discover More,” “Something For Everyone,” “Discover The Heart of The Green Mountains,” “Elevate Your Experience,” and “Your Adventure Starts Here.” There would be no cost for a new slogan, she said, since the signs are going to be repainted anyway.

The board authorized Morrison to execute a survey eliciting opinions about and ideas for the new slogan. She will use the ENews systems for both killington Pico Area Association and the town, and hard-copy surveys will be distributed at key points, including the Town Offices. The deadline for submissions will be in two weeks.

Another issue on the town manager’s mind is delinquent taxes. As she is pre-arranging a possible loan-in-anticipation-of-taxes with the town’s bank, Schwartz said, she realized that there is over $400,000 in delinquent taxes owed by about 200 property owners.