Ongoing vandalism at a skate park in a Canadian town along the United States border prompted authorities to remove the park altogether.
Officials in Amherstburg, Ont., removed the town’s temporary skateboard park, the Windsor Star reported Monday.
The temporary park was behind the Community Hub on Richmond Street on an asphalt parking lot.
The town sent out a notice Thursday that the ramps were being removed due to “destructive conduct both inside and outside“ the building. “Attempts to mitigate this poor behaviour have not been successful.”
Mayor Aldo DiCarlo said the equipment had to be pulled for safety, including the wellbeing of the people who use the building.
“We had to address it quickly for the people who live around there and the people who use the building so they feel safe enough,” DiCarlo said.
The skate park was in a secluded fenced in area not visible from nearby roasy. The town’s original skate park was highly visible in Centennial Park, but that location was lost due to construction of the new dual-track high school.
The intent with the temporary park was to provide a skate park option for the summer, DiCarlo said.
“There were actually quite a few issues with it,” he said. “There was graffiti on the equipment and other mischief both outside and inside the building.”
Officials tried stepping up police patrols, but it didn’t resolve the issues.
Staff are now using the down time to improve and overhaul the equipment.
Administration is in the midst of an engagement survey to see where residents want the new permanent skate park located, as well as what type of amenities they want in it.
The survey asks about interest in a multi-use park for skateboards, BMX, scooters, mountain bikes and roller blades, as well as inquires about adding a bowl, pump track, rails and bleachers.
DiCarlo noted that the existing equipment could be temporarily placed in another spot, or it could return to the Community Hub on Richmond Street, if a security fix is put in place.
“We want to get it set up again as quickly as possible if we can find some place or fix the security issue at the place where it was,” he said.
