Once again the young children of Mullica are punished because of the teenagers in our area. First the disgraceful state of the Pinecone Zone playground and now the skate park. The playground is always broken and the gazebos are falling apart. It is not a very nice haven for our young children and it is embarrassing when other townships come for games at the rec fields and stop in to play! Now they have dismantled the skate park punishing the young SUPERVISED children who use it! I am so tired of our community and our children suffering because we have no official recreation department. How can other townships keep such wonderful assets in their communities? I realize that this all comes down to money, but has anyone even asked the taxpayers what they think? I'm willing to pay a little more to benefit my kids! What parent wouldn't? Couldn't we pay someone part time night shift to sit in a small guard shack and report any trespassers? I'm sure there are lots of people in this economy happy for the part time work! Shame on the teenagers who keep vandalizing the rec- you have now ruined it for everyone!
Concerned parent
Saturday, November 07, 2009
skate park-pinecone zone
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97 comments:
Good bye skate board park hello basketball court. I'm sorry but i've never seen supervised skateboarding at the park.
I moved here over three years ago and wrote a letter to then Mayor Chasey about the gazebos with the holes in the roof. She wrote back stating that the Director of the Parks and Recreation was notified. NOTHING WAS DONE. I've seen children in the skate park well after 10:oo pm. Where are our police? More patroling might have helped. Lets hope the new adminstration does a better job. I'll be watching!
Wasn't the park monitored by a closed circuit camera? The township website stated that some acts occurred daily-where are the police? The language I heard from older kids at the skatepark while pushing my child on the swing was deplorable. I'm glad the skatepark is gone and I hope they don't put up a basketball court.
To allow this to continue is the result of lack of proper supervision of the police department. They weren't doing their job.
The "closed-circuit" cameras were dummies and the kids knew it.
Which department head on committee was responsible for Recreation.? I also noted that many of the fence slats that had sponsors and family members names on them have been replaced by empty flat slats. They gave no effort or regard to all the volunteers who spent time and money on the Pine Cone Zone years ago.Many of the families have kids that were children then and have now grown up and their names were on the slats. I guess like everything else the present leadership on committee only could care about what they and their friends were getting from the town and screw everyone else. So who is the committee member? It also should have been the Mayors role to ensure more serious attention to the matter. I also anticipate that the new members of committee from what I know will be more dedicated and appreciative of the children and their families.
How does anyone expect the police department, with over 50 square miles to cover, to be at the Rec 24/7? Besides, it's all wooded back there and as soon as the kids saw the headlights, they would run and hide. Sometimes good intentions don't turn out.
The 7:59 post is ridiculous. No one said the police had to be there 24/7. A more visible presence would have been nice. Imagine if they would sometimes park their car and walk around-actually spend some time there. Not talking about hours but maybe 20 min or so. "Daily vandalism" is the quote on the Township website and our police seem baffled by these pre-teen or early teen hoods!
Does anyone actually know how often the police were there? Maybe they did park their car and walk through, maybe they rode through hourly, does anyone really know? Maybe this is something the police chief should be asked. Isn't there a curfew in town? Were they children at the park at 10:00 PM or young adults (over 18) using the skateboard park after 10:00 PM?
I am also sure parents would be willing to pay a "little bit more", but would other residents who aren't parents want to pay more taxes to hire an employee to "guard" the Rec fields? There aren't many towns that I know of around here who have anything other than fields and perhaps a playground at their rec fields. Most don't have gazebo's either.
The Pinecone Zone has had damage, graffiti, slats missing long before the skateboard park even opened, so this vandalism has been occurring for years. The skateboard park itself seems to have made it all worse and the cost of the repairs was too much for the township to continue to swallow.
What I can't believe is no one knows who is responsible for ANY of the vandalism, kids talk and I am betting most know who did the damage and just aren't saying. An entire gate disappears and no one knows where it is or has seen it? Never once have I ever seen anyone "supervised" at the skateboard park unless a game was going on and a parent walked over to check on one of their kids.
I'm at the park often with my child. I might see a police car one time for every 20 times I'm there. The only times I've seen a cop out of the car was during the Easter egg hunt and Mullica Day- and it wasn't as though they were on patrol but helping in an event. I remember all the people at these events and how proud I was of our Township and am amazed that a few jerks could ruin it all. Imagine the time it would take for an entire gate to be dismantled and taken away. Shame on those who did it but police could make a stronger showing than the 1 minute drive by they sometimes do.
Lets all hope that the newly revitalized committee does a bettter job and that our police does a better job too.
Everyone is quick to point fingers and give their expert advice. Action has been taken by all 5 sitting committee members, and although I think it is Mr. St. Amours department, this has been an ongoing problem, handled , (did you know children have been caught and made to do repairs?) but obviously , it is out of control.11:54 could have written letters to the last 5 Mayors, and the results would be the same. Children allowed out after curfew are responsible for this. Blame their parents.
A simple gesture. Sometimes thats all it takes. While exiting the township transfer station I saw a "thank you" attached to a Polk Gabris sign. Here are talking about a few ruining it for all yet a simple gesture like a thank you does give me hope that the people in charge will make it better.
As far as I know, Mullica doesn't have a Director of the Parks and Recreation. The grounds and structures are maintained by the Road Department. Security is the job of the Police Department. The Rec Association runs the sports programs and has no control over the Skate Park or the Pine Cone Zone.
RE: 8:28 AM comment.
I think the Public Works/Road Dept is in charge of cutting the grass and doing maintenance, which is St. Amour's dept.
The Rec Association is not part of the Township, however the liaison to the Rec Association is the Head of Administration, who happens to be Mayor Forman.
The policing of the Rec Fields is done by the Police Department and that is Bill Kennedy's department.
We pay for all of this with tax dollars, which is part of Revenue and Finance, which is Kathy Chasey's department.
A new concession stand with restrooms is planned to be built, which is under Building and Construction, which is Graebener's department.
Ergo, it falls under all five committee people, however no one is in charge of Recreation.
I am sure this will clear everything up now.
Please stop passing the buck. The police are in charge of keeping the park secure from vandals.
RE: Anonymous said... "Please stop passing the buck. The police are in charge of keeping the park secure from vandals."
As are the dummy video cameras that were put up to discourage vandalism.
Turns out the dummy cameras were just as effective as the police-and a lot less expensive!
bleh bleh bleh. i have video proof of kids vandalising the gazebo. who was the ones to yell at them for it. the bike riders and skaters! for the gazebo has had holes in the roof for the past three years i have been going there. where do you want us to go ride and fun. the school? i bet most of the kids that go to the skatepark are goi ng to be out on the corners selling drugs. its all the non locals that vandalize the rec. also bring in the tennis courts or basketball courts people are just going to bring in there own ramps.
Re 9:38 pm
First, I hope you are not the product of our school system. If you are,then all my tax money is being wasted.
Second,there is a new ordinance that was passed by Kennedy,Forman and Chasey that might make it illegal for groups of you to even be on town property without a permit.
Third,you have no right to deface any new areas that might be planned such as a tennis court or basketball area. I doubt that these things will be put up anyway because of the economy.
Fourth,if you have your own ramps and equipment,then you should form a club ,buy some property and take out your own insurance policy.
Fifth,if you have video of the vandals,you should have taken it to the police. There was a reward out for information which would lead to the capture of the people who where doing the damage.
Sixth,everyone has choices in this life. If someone decides to go sell drugs because the skatepark is gone then they are really stupid. But then I guess the town is dealing with stupid kids that steal signs and gates,ride bikes where they weren't allowed,cut the fence to get in and never wear helmets.
Seventh,from your writing,I can see that you need more time with books and homework. That will prepare you for your future and it's a lot safer and more productive than smashing your empty,unprotected head on a very hard surface.
Bring Back Mullica Skatepark!: If all of what you have said is true, then why don't you do what the previous poster has stated and bring your video proof to the police department?
As for selling drugs on the street corners, will this be the non-locals who have vandalized it or the locals who will now be forced to sell drugs because they have no place to ride their skateboards? One would think non-locals would sell in their own town and somehow I doubt drugs will be sold on street corners because you don't have a place to skate any longer.
You all had several chances and it seems like you just didn't care because it kept getting repaired, but now it's gone and it's someone else's fault and responsibility. Unfortunately, in life, when you chose your actions, you are choosing your consequences and we sometimes don't like the consequences of our actions.
I am not saying all the skateboarders are to blame, but I am also betting many know who did the damage and wouldn't speak up and because of that, the park is gone for all. It only took a few to ruin it for the bunch.
first: im not a bad kid everytime before i left i would pick up everyones trash.
second: i had no idea that there was a reward for the vandalism or else i would have reported it to the police.
third: im not forming a club for people to ride my skatepark plus if your my friend you can come over to shred for free. why buy property when i have it in my back yard.
fourth: i agree with you 100% if kids go out there and sell drugs on corners are stupid. i have never smoked in my life or drank in my life.
fifth: i wear a helmet evertime i thrown my leg over a bike. i know at any second i could fall get seriously hurt or possibly die. but hey thats what comes alond with bmx.
sixth: im pretty sure im good with books and homework because last time i check im in the highest level classes with straight A's. so im pretty sure my future is going pretty well. whats more productive than riding bikes? not reading a book! last time i checked more than half on america is fat. o im pretty sure im doing something productive.im also sure you feel really cool telling a 15 year old kid that his head is empty o and my head is protected. now im going to let you old people keep cheering on how the skatepark is gone because i will be in my back yard shredding my ramps or dirt jumps. :)
seventh: not done just yet. put the basketball courts in. your going to get everyone and there brothers smoking cursing selling crack etc... and triple the vandalism. so keep spending your tax money fixing whack gazebos that no one goes to. too have family picnics
Impossible that kids were in the skatepark "well after 10 pm"... the police would come around dark, kick everyone out and lock up the gates.
look. im a teenage kid who has been going to the skatepark since it opened. that was our only thing to do in mullica. everyone that im with in the skatepark and have been there was has done NO vandalism. there have been kids from out of town who come here and do the vandalism and we told them to leave. why would we ruin something that we love? now that our counsil has taken our skatepark all of us kids have no where to go. would you rather us staying at home, getting fat and lazy, or us out there having fun and keeping healthy. now that we have no where to go were just simply going to ride in the street. if they put in basketball courts its going to bring the wrong crowd in and there is going to be a lot of worse things going on. were good kids who just want to get out there and ride our bikes or skateboards but now we just need to improvie. you take our skatepark away and we will set up ramps in the street. we get kicked off the street. we will go somewhere else and do the same. we are kids who have inspiration and love to go and ride bikes or skate. no matter what you people do you cannot stop us. try and try again but we will always find away to still do what we love.
Okay, well first of all, the people that have replied to "bring back mullica skateparks!" comment. There was nothing wrong with our skate park. I understand that some misguided children have disrupted and dismantled the playground and the gazebos. I am sorry to say that these "vandals" were not once one of the local skaters or bikers. My name is Patrick Bilazzo, I am 17 years of age and I have been going to the Mullica skate park since the first day it was open. I know and am personally friends with every local skateboarder and BMXer. We have done nothing wrong; not a thing. You ask us to turn these people in that destroy "our" communities’ property, but we can't, we honestly have not one name to turn in. We don't know who graffitis around here. We also don't know who damages things. We come around for one reason and one reason only, to have fun with our friends doing what we love locally within our community. When you hear filthy language, do you know who it is coming from? Exactly, that’s the problem. We don't either. It is coming from someone that is not local. Someone that does not have respect for what we were blessed with within our township. The cops have repeatedly told us to confront these people that do harm to our community. They tell us to tell them to be nicer or leave our skate park. I don't think you understand how hard that is. If so, many people that weren't in the skate park had a problem with it, why didn't you tell these "fowl mouths" yourselves. Or were you too scared to say something to a young adult because you don't know what there next action is going to be. That was my problem. I didn’t want to confront someone who is cursing up a storm and who i have never seen before and tell them to clean up their act or leave. I know many of you older people don't like something like this in our little township we have here, but it is keeping us all out of trouble. So please rethink what you have last posted and what you have said about "us" skaters and bikers. Your "local" young adults, teenagers, and adolescences are good people. Give us a chance. Please
I think that the skate park should be put back. we have already announced that we will hold fund raisers to raise all of the money needed to re-surface the ramps and as long as there is a little more patrolling from the police the skate park should be fine. Please give it back. It means the world to me and I’m sure many others. I've watched not only myself grow older on that park but all my peers as well. I've watched as all my peers progressed within their preferred sport right next to me.
I as well as all the rest of the community teenagers will be honored to help the township set our skate park back up to the way it used to be. We will help with anything we can.
Thank you
Sincerely,
Patrick Bilazzo
•Local Skateboarder
•Hardworking Student
•Trustworthy Mullica resident for 10 years and counting.
please bring back mullica skate park. these kids have been practicing their skating and biking. remember when you were young? the kids that go to the skate park mostly dont play any sports in school. skate boarding and bmxing is not a sport that is played in school. what if you were on a swim team? where would you go to practice? the pool right? skating and bmxing however is a sport you can get sponsered by. its almost just like a scholership for any other sport. youve just taken away chances for kids to ever get any where in their life. its also keeping our kids in shape, and out of trouble. would you want to have kids riding their bikes and skateboard/ or would you want them doing drugs and vandelizing all of mullica? what happened if we took the police station away from mullica? im sure it wouldnt matter i mean a bunch of cops can meet anywhere they want cant they? and most of the skate boarders and bmxers took no part in vandalizing the park it was the weed smokers in the pinecone zone. and even if the skate/bmxers di do it, its keeping it in a closed area and its just one place. i think that the skate park was a great idea and it was keeping most kids out of trouble. thanks baconaters
re 8:53 pm
I'm really glad that you and your friends have found the Gadfly. It is good to hear your side of the story.
I'm a bit confused. You talk about riding your bike at the skatepark. I was under the impression that bikes were not allowed on the skate surface and the bikes caused the surface to wear out prematurely and would cost around $3,600 to recoat.
I don't know what it would cost to put the skatepark back but if most of you are riding bikes there, maybe it would be better to set up an area for bike riders instead.
Good luck with your fund raiser and your meetings with the town.
To the 8:59 posting that states it is impossible for kids to be there after 10:00pm. I saw heard them as I was walking my dog and then I saw them. Don't tell me its impossible!
When I heard the filthy language that I wrote of earlier I did know where it came from-the skate park! "You don't know what you've got 'til its gone" are the words to an old song and they ring so true. You blew it guys! You had it and you blew it!
The previous poster is right, the song had a remake by the Counting Crows, "Big Yellow Taxi" and it is true:
"Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got till it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot"
You had lots of chances, but didn't care about how it was getting fixed or costs. Bikes weren't supposed to be on there either, but the signs kept getting stolen. Obviously bikes were getting used there from the postings read here, so that point is moot. It wasn't the X-Games kids, it was for skateboarding not BMX bikes.
Issuing threats of where you will ride, set up ramps, basically do what you want because you "love it" is going to really make those in charge see things your way. Basically, you are saying "we'll do whatever we want because we love it", aren't you? There are no negotiations here, it's gone, end of story.
Perhaps if you all had approached things differently and earlier it would have been saved.
its impossible to be in there past 10. he just told you it is. last time i checked you are not allowed to be in the rec past 10 yourself.
thanyou. :)
I HAVE SEEN KIDS THERE AFTER 10:00PM.! Now that I got that off my chest I am very happy to say that I probably will not ever see them again - at least not at the skate park because there no longer is one! No more foul language and vandalism from that hoodlum element that the skate park used to attract. HAPPY DAYS!
I am not a resident of the city of Mullica, yet, I have spent many hours riding at the skate park. Currently, I am a resident of Mays Landing, a city where the adverse affects of removing a town’s skate park can be observed. All in all, getting rid of this sanctuary where skaters and bikers alike can call home, will cause nothing but problems.
The municipality of Mays Landing is an epicenter of the BMX community, and in the past years, we had the luxury of our own skate park. It wasn’t much, yet, we could call it our own. We were content with this trivial getaway from the dangers of street riding. Yet, the township banned bikes from the park. Over time, the park became open less and less, and eventually, was removed. The park’s removal was due to “vandalism.” Mullica’s park is being closed for the same reason. Skaters and Bikers in Mays Landing are now forced to perform their hobbies in dangerous and restricted areas.
Bikers and Skaters are constantly being blamed for vandalism, theft, and other crimes. Yet, the actions of the few cannot possibly be a reflection of the overall group. The majority of extreme sports participants are not out to destroy property. It is ridiculous to stereotype us as delinquents. Many times, police are also suspicious of extreme athletes, and in most instances, we are wrongly blamed.
Removing the skate park from Mullica will put a huge number of kids at risk. Mullica is home to many dangerous roads, and, bikers and skaters will have to travel these treacherous streets in order to ride or skate.
The closing of Mullica skatepark is simply an atrocity, time and time again history has shown us that the closing of skateparks can only bring hardships to a community. I ask you, as the mature adults you all are (which is not shown by some comments on this board) to really consider what you are doing to these kids. In reality, you are ripping them away from their home.
The 12:04 posting that said its "imposssible to be there after 10:00pm because its not allowed"--Its also impossible to use your bikes there because thats not allowed and its also impossible to steal a gate because thats not allowed either. All impossible, yet it happened! Now you'll have to take up soccer or baseball if you want to use the park.
In addition, the comments of some "adults" on this blog are downright ridiculous. "First, I hope you are not the product of our school system. If you are,then all my tax money is being wasted." I'm glad you feel that the product of your own townships school's are a waste of your money. "...smashing your empty,unprotected head on a very hard surface." It's a shame that these bike rider's skulls aren't as thick as yours. Than they wouldn't have to worry about smashing them.
All skaters and BMX fans take note: no one is taking your skatepark away just to make you angry. It is because of the cost and the trouble involved-its just not worth it. Besides, there aren't suppose to be any BMX (bikes) there anyway. Its over guys. As a previous post said
: you don't know what you've got till its gone.
I have not noticed any "adverse affects" in Mays Landing due to the removal of its skatepark.
To the 5:27 poster who commented about the adults: the wasted taxes referred to the poor style of writing and the lack of punctuation marks. When you try to make a point you should try harder to not show your ignorance as that posting did.
To the 8:17 PM poster-Well said and exactly right.
So many of the pro skatepark people just seem to glide over the fact that bikes were used at the skatepark when it was against the rules. Hey guys! There was a cost to all this.
to the 8:29 poster: sorry we're not spell-checking our comments before we click "publish". Last time I checked, we were trying to get a point across... not win a grammar contest/spelling bee.
I know they're young but the supporters of the skatepark accentuate their ignorance with their poor communication skills. Almost all ignore the fact that bikes were not allowed in the skatepark and never mention the cost to repair and maintain the park with just the normal usage without the vandalism. Patrick Bilazzo starts off by stating "there was nothing wrong with our skatepark" and blames everyone else for what went wrong except the "skaters or bikers." He ignores that bikers were not allowed. Others blame the lack of supervision and/or the police. The outcry by the supporters of the park was foreseeable and will be dismissed by those in power. That it became a cost versus benefit issue succintly states the case. So I add my voice to others who have said "too bad guys. You had it and you blew it".
how the heck is there a coost to keep mullica skate prk? it was already there. the basketball courts will take up even more space that the skate park and with the skate park gone no one will be at the rec. not a lot of mullica kids play basketball anyways. and the kids for wharton park live to far away anyways. i dont know why you adults are even commenting on this blog when you dont know anything about it. im extremely mad at everyone in mullica for being so ignorant and not caring. when the idiots that dont know about our sport are the ones controling us. i think 7 year olds can run for president. its the same thing as the people who want the skate park wrong. i mean 7 year olds dont know how to rule a country and you guys obviously dont know how to control a skate park.
i love how the bike riders get blamed for the surface being wrecked. there are 100 of skateparks out there with the same texture for example goshen skatepark down by cape may is the same type on decking and bikes are allowed in that skatepark. all is whatr we are asking is for one more chance! we are willing to do fundraisers and etc... to get money for mullica rec.
You skaters are DUMB!To the 4:16am writer who is trying to get his point across and not win a grammar/writing contest: Don't worry. You will never win a grammar contest. Unfortunately,you will never get your point across either because it is too much work to read crap. When you don't write well people just don't want to bother with it. Philip Desnuts says adults shouldn't write here; wants 7 year olds to run for President and asks, "what cost?" when it comes to maintaining the skatepark. See what I mean? Phil, put away your skateboard and read a book.
Re 5:11pm
When I first heard about the skate park closing, I felt sorry for children and teenagers who were using the park.
After reading the comments by the young adults here, I realize that the bikers have been using the area illegally in the first place.
It seems that the "no bikes allowed" signs conveniently disappeared. The fences were cut and the gate was stolen. The surface was ruined by the bikes.
We "guys" have to pay for the all the damage. If a town provides a service,it has a legal responsibility to follow the direction of it's insurance company. Gates have to be locked at a certain time,signs have to be in place and the grounds have to be maintained in order to have liability insurance.
If these conditions are not met or are impossible to maintain,the whole township is at a legal risk.
The BMX people had NO right to even be at the skatepark in the first place. You can NOT ask to have something back that you were NEVER entitled to use in the first place.
Even if the bikers never stole the signs or did the other vandalism,just their use of the park ruined it for the skateboarders.
Mr. Desnetz, you feel that you and your friends know how to run a skatepark but you all have failed to maintain it according to the laws.
Please don't insult all the "idiot adults" or like your friends, threaten us like 7 yr olds that we will make all of you fat,lazy,drug selling,graffiti writing,fowl mouth curfew breakers if the skatepark is gone.
Grow up and realize that you are the only one who will determine your future. The path you take is your own responsibilty.
To Bring Back Mullica Skatepark, Philip and Patrick:
The adults are not "idiots" and if you even understood the costs of maintaining such a park, then you would "get it". There is no amount of fundraising you could possibly do to even come close to the cost of maintaining such a park. You would have to continually do the fundraising, which I doubt you would be able to do.
Maybe you should contact the Township CFO (Chief financial officer) and find out the exact costs of running such a park and then you would maybe "get it", but somehow I doubt it since it appears money grows on trees around here in your minds.
The mayor and township officials are NOT to be blamed for this. YOU GUYS BLEW IT, period. Get over it, drive to Goshen and skate and bike away.
There are repercussions for not following the rules. Mayor Chasey learned that and now the skaters of Mullica skatpark will learn. Questions like "what cost?" are too silly to even respond to. Times are tough and everyone must look at how money is being spent. Too bad. You had it and you blew it!
I love how the last comment and a couple of comments before that are poking fun at the "what cost?" comment. If you didn’t notice the skate park was in fine working condition. There were people having fun on it every day and there hasn’t been a report of anyone getting hurt there in years. I bet you people also didn’t know that our community gets money every year someone doesn’t get hurt there did you? Well what are they doing with that money? It should have gone to a skate park fund instead of hidden from our community. So all you people that still consistently poke fun of the "what cost?" comment, please start thinking before you hit the publish button and please all you adults that sign as anonymous and then trash talk about how dumb all of us young skaters and bikers are, start thinking before you type. It didn’t cost anything to keep the skate park the way it was. I’m pretty sure our township has not saved a dime since the skate park has been taken down?? If you have anything else to say bad about all this, then please say it but please sign your name too so I can point out to the committee and the town clerk how childish most of our townships residents are for making fun of and putting down kids that range from 8-17 years of age.
Thanks again,
Sincerely,
Patrick Bilazzo
•Local Skateboarder
•Hardworking Student
•Trustworthy Mullica resident for 10 years and counting.
P.S. - for all of those people who keep getting on the younger kids cases about their "spelling and punctuation", go ahead and check mine. I'm pretty sure it is fine and I’m a "product of your school system" that (previously stated in the 12:57 AM post) you are wasting all your tax money on.
It seems a shame that a recreational resource for our kids have to be eliminated. Would it make sense for the kids who use the park to come up with rules to follow that they themselves enforce? Could the kids volunteer to clean up and maintain the park with adult help? This can include cleaning up and helping to repair Pine Cone Zone. Will some adults sponsor the kids and the skate park. Can we increase enforcement at the park? Is this something that can be looked at more or is the issue really dead? I would like to see the kids learn to assume some responsibility in exchange for use of the park, if it is still possible for that to happen.
Yeah right! The skatepark was working fine as long as the TAXPAYERS paid the $3600.00 to resurface the ramps(not including 2/3 days labor)!WHAT COST? It was working fine as long as TAXPAYERS paid the $1000.00 to replace the gate. WHAT COST? If not replaced the township could probably be liable to a lawsuit - that means the TAXPAYERS would eventually be paying. Same goes for the fence, which COST $1250.00. Hardworking, trustworthy Patrick askes "What cost?" and says the township would be getting money if no one gets injured. From who? And if the skatepark was working fine why did the skaters need the $4000.00 picnic tables to use as ramps? (I beieve that cost is excessive but that's what the township web page says. You should be thanking us (TAXPAYERS) Patrick for all the years you got to enjoy the skatepark-thanking us (TAXPAYERS) for PAYING to install it and maintain it. Instead you ask "what cost" and demand for the return of the skatepark as if it was an entitlement. As so many have said before me, you had it and you blew it.
Hey Patrick. That 12:57 posting you were referring to was talking about "bring back mullica skatepark"- who doesn't know the meaning of upper case and lower case.know what i mean :)
Re 6:38 pm
There is a Township meeting tomorrow night(11/24) at 7pm. Please write back and let the rest of us know if any formal plans are presented by the kids to save the park. I don't know if this is a dead issue or not. It will be interesting to hear about the outcome.
The 7:55 post is so right. So too is an 8:17 posting stating that a cost and benefit decision was made. The skaters ask about the cost and don't seem to hear the answer that everyone is giving. I have a kid so I know about selective hearing. They only hear what they want to.
The town requires advance application fees, permit fees and proof of insurance for the kids to use the fields for a baseball game or even if someone wants to have a birthday party.
If the skatepark is reopened, every person using it should have to pay high registration fees and have proof of their own insurance policy. They should have to show their proof everytime they use the park and register in a book the times they were at the park.
The fees should be high enough to pay the salary of a full time guard and this would prevent all the bmx people from using the park.
The skateboarders should all be made to pay their part for a full alarm system and an additional admittance fee each time they use the park to help cover maintenance.
The families of the kids who play the team sports pay their share to maintain the fields and I would consider these sports less dangerous then use of the skate park.
This would eliminate the vandalism and insure supervision at all times. Maybe this would make the foulmouth,weed smoking,delinquent out-of-towners leave Mullica and have their "fun" someplace else.
The previous posting 1:32 has a great plan but I doubt it will work. It requires responsibility from young people (to have an insurance policy and actually carry the proof?) and money. The young people who used the park do not seem the type to be that responsible. At their age I certainly wasn't. To charge them enough to actually pay for a guard? While those who want the skatepark to remain are very emphatic, are there enough of them to support this plan? I doubt it. I'm not saying no to the plan but I doubt it will work.
It seems from the comments that there were more bike riders then skateboarders using the park.
The "collapse comments"feature really came in handy for this article.
Boy I tell ya, whoever said that gate to the skate park costs $1,000 must be huffing to many propane fumes. My cousin has been in the fencing industry for the past 20+ years and told me that fence was $300 tops.
http://www.vimeo.com/7716859
That is a url to a video of some local bmxers and skateboarders trying to prevent young hooligans from destroying the gazeebo. They knew that they would be blamed for it so they did something about it.
You say that the main reason for taking the park down is vandalism, but if I were to tear up the soccer field in my truck tonight would the township decide to just get rid of that too? I think not god dangit.
So there was a hole in the fence that nobody could see, a missing gate that was returned, and stolen signs. If I'm not mistaken the signs said that the skatepark was under video surveillance, which was a bunch of bologna because those video cameras were obviously dummies. I mean, one was pointing at the hendricksons house which is way behind the skatepark and the other one is pointing up at the heavens where Tom Landry rests.
I think everyone over reacted to the gate being stolen. When you were a young adult you didn't do anything stupid?
At the town meeting two or so weeks ago the mayor actually tried to blame one of the young adults at the meeting. I'll tell ya what, that hole has been there for well over 3 years and I've never seen it fixed so it obviously wasn't a priority until the man wanted to get rid of the park.
I guess all of the kids are just going to start having to play...basketball? Becuase you know how well known mullica is for our basketball teams.
Or maybe our excelent tennis players?
hmmm...
Now to move onto what bikers had to do with all of this. It is said that bmx bikes do much more damage than a skateboard. Where are they getting that information? Pegs are made out of the same material as skateboard trucks so there goes that argument. In fact, bmx tires are made of out RUBBER while skateboard wheels are made out of polyurethane which in fact is a harder material than what bmx tires are made of. There are thousands of blogs and websites about how bikes are not allowed in skate parks and they all say the same thing, there is no proof that bmx bikes do more damage than a skateboard.
You have been sitting on those video's for over 9 months and once the park is gone, decide to bring them out? Pure stupidity.
Also, Hank, I doubt very much the mayor "tried to blame" one particular person, not in this litigious society.
Hey Hank! If your cousin has a gate like the one missing for $300 he's probably the one who stole it. If you were to tear up the soccer field tonight with your truck it wouldn't take much to level out the ground and plant grass-sure wouldn't cost much. And the soccer field means more to a lot more people than does the skatepark to its relative few. As for young adults doing stupid things, when I did stupid things I usually had to pay for it. As for the thousands of websites about bikes and skateparks, I think our town fathers said "....why bother?" Lets just get rid of it all" and they did! Now it doesn't cost anything and they don't have to listen to some cowboy fan about tires and rubber. That brings me to another point. When I want something bad enough I either buy it or build it myself. Then its mine and no one can take it. If it's that important to you than go for it and stop your whining.
Where you at the meeting Peggy?
Because she cleary tried blaming it on Mathew Fannel, who did nothing wrong
Dearest Hank,
Mr. Fannell admitted the reason the gate was cut was because it wasn't being opened and closed properly and it's in the meeting minutes for 11-10-2009 on the Township website.
I wasn't there, but I can read the minutes and your good friends, Dale Gribble and John Redcorn were there and they told me.
Love,
Peggy
Yeah, I was at the meeting.
Mathew Fannel made the statement that "as far as the chain link being cut in the fence, it's just that we want to get in to skate. It's not being open at the proper time or closed at the proper time".
When people use the word "we",it usually includes themselves. This statement did cause a few giggles to go through the room and Forman picked right up on it.
Later when she tried to tell him that it was vandalism,he denied saying it.
He might have been nervous and mispoke but he did seem to include himself in the cutting of the fence because the cops weren't there on time to open the park.
These meetings are all recorded. So if anybody has any question about what was said, you can go to town hall and buy a copy.
I have no doubt that the skatepark occupied a lot of time of some children. I also think that the some of the skatepark people violated some rules like using their bikes. Now you can say that a bike is no more harmful than a skate but you don't make the rules or pay the bills to maintain the park.
I also think that the prices stated by those in charge are very high. They probably don't want to deal with the grief and expense any longer and have made their decision. Hey,we elected them to take care of our township and to watch our money while they do it. It is their right to get rid of the skatepark and it is the right of those who oppose such a move to complain.
I understand the equipment from the skatepark will be up for auction. Those who want to can put in a bid.
The skate park had turned into an ongoing attractive nuisance, which neither the township nor the police were able to change. Additionally, the continued wanton destruction of township property, such as destroying the gazebos and picnic tables by the BMX bikers, who were attracted to the skate park, not to mention all the foul language being heard by the young children at the Pine Cone Zone, necessitated it being closed. The township would have been liable for injuries and it was just too costly to continue to make repairs to the equipment and buildings and to replace tables and trash bins because of the almost daily vandalism there. There was no alternative.
"It seems from the comments that there were more bike riders then skateboarders using the park."
The 3:56 PM poster seems to have it right. Watching the videos on the internet seems to confirm this. All boys too. Not one girl.
that park will be in my front yard very soon.
re 12:38 am
Best of luck to you,Shred. Make sure you check with the town to see if you can legally set up a skate park in your front yard.
Shred, you may want to erect a fence with a lockable gate so that your parents are not liable for injuries when they cannot supervise the activities.
re 11:58 am
Even if Shred's parents are supervising the activities,I think they would have to take out special insurance for this project.
I watched the videos and I'm amazed that nobody has broken their neck with all the hard falls that occurred.
I would like to know if the parents of these BMX kids have watched the videos?! Specifically the parents that came to the township meeting and spoke about how their kids did not damage the park. OMG, what a group! And to the mother that complained that she would no longer be able to drop her 7 year old off there to play...are you nuts!? I wasn't entirely convinced about getting rid of the skate park until watching the videos. I think my favorite was the young man who rode his bike off the top of the gazebo , or maybe the young man smashing the townships trash cans?All set to some great music might I add. HEY PARENTS..TIME TO WAKE UP!!!
Video #2 sure showed how the older teens were training the younger ones in the use of foul language,fighting and destruction of town property.
I had no idea this was going on in town and I'm glad the skatepark was closed.
Oddly, no one talks about skateboarding in the skateboard park, but BMX riding? Did anyone actually use skateboards there?
Its amazing that all this vandalism took place in daylight hours yet no one seemed to see it happening and report it. Now that tapes have appeared on the internet, will the police follow up?
Re 8:02 am
It's possible that none of the filmed behavior took place when the kids saw adults around.
We have over 50 miles for two cops to cover on a shift. If no complaints were called in,they would have had no reason to pay special attention to that area.
Even if the police saw the videos now,I don't know what they could do. The skatepark is gone. The videos will stand as proof as to why it was removed.
Re: 8:02AM
Exactly where on the internet are these videos? I have searched but cannot find them. Thank you.
"Exactly where on the internet are these videos?"
The quickest way is to go to vimeo.com and search for Mullica BMX.
The video's can be found at www.vimeo.com and type Piney BMX in the search box. Some are taken at the park. Be on the lookout for their DVD available April 2010!
Re 3:46 PM post
We have no guarantee that the vandalism will not continue at the park and the police should start paying better attention to this issue rather than ignoring it, as they seemed to have done in the past.
3:46 sounds like one of those parents that think the town should babysit their kids. You know what, let's all watch the rec a little closer, and lock these little juvies up next time!
Thank you for the info on where to find the videos. I am truely stunned by what I saw. The skatepark should have been better supervised or eliminated years ago. All parents should see what their children are up to when the adults aren't around.
yea..and all of our parents would be proud about how were staying off of drugs and doing something we love. Not to mention how hardcore we shred!! HELL YEAH!!
while your looking up the videos make sure to go to www.pineybmx.com to check out anything thats new and up and coming.
First off, i just want to say i understand why the skatepark was taken out, but putting basketball courts in will be the worst thing ever for the rec fields. the hammonton courts got so bad and filled with unwanted attention, that they had to take them out.
let me ask you adults, um if it seems like somuch money and work to put the skate park you obviously have never been in a basketball court. it costs tons of money and the township is contridicting themselves if they are saying oh lets take down the skate park because its costing us money when really it will cost thousands if moire dollars to pick up the freaking ramps which was already done. and to get the surfacing down for the basketball courts and for the nets that will most likely constantly be ripped down and to put the rim, and the backboard and the rest of the things a basketball courts need. really rerally think about it. and we actually already have a basketball court if you havent noticed. right behind the mullica township middle school. you adults are really taking all the fun out of being a kid. this was a great place for meeting new friends and practicing skateboard and bmxing skills. i want everyone who agrees with me and opposes me to come to the next town hall meeting and really show how much you really want it down. and if no one shows up ill simply bring it up he the council members that it seems like the taking away of the skatepark is obviously just bothering people. we still have a chance, if you really dont want it up please show up so i can talk to you face to face and tell you how i feel on the situation. i have many many more cons in taking down the skate park. LONG LIVE PINEY BMX!!!
As of 2:00 AM on 12/18 there are 86 comments and about 10 were in favor of keeping the skatepark. The argument seems to be over but the shock of what was going on there after viewing the videos is not.
"LONG LIVE PINEY BMX!!!"? Dude, it just died.
this is the stupidest thing mullica has ever done. my little bro asked me "can i please go with you, i wanna ride with you and the piney crew." every time i went to the skatepark. i would say when you get older. but where are we gonna ride when he gets older? i told him that they were gonna take the skatepark down one day and he said. "this is stupid! they should take it down" looks like an 8 year old is smarter than half the town of mullica.
and the kid that jumped off the gizzabo, on to the "$4,000" plastic picnic table. that i could go buy for about $850. heres a link fr the website.http://www.picnichq.com/8-wheelchair-accessible-recycled-plastic-picnic-table.html?___store=picnic_hq_store_eng he didt brake one thing on that darn thing. and the gizzabo isn't the skatepark. it's a place that the mayor think everybody uses, the place thats always empty. almost everyday of the summer.
and not everybody has the cleanest mouth in the skatepark. but have you seen us fall? do you remember what you said the last time you shut your finger in the door or dropped something on your foot?
Josh, your comment read, and I quote i told him that they were gonna take the skatepark down one day and he said. "this is stupid! they should take it down" looks like an 8 year old is smarter than half the town of mullica.
Looks like he was cause he said "they SHOULD take it down". Looks like your 8 year old bro has more brains than you do.
Re 9:43 pm
Josh, the "kid" that rode off the gazebo roof was you and you're very lucky that you didn't break your neck.
Please try and be a good big brother and teach the 8 yr old to have respect for other people's property and not to do stupid things.
I'm sure he looks up to you and you have a responsibility to teach him about safety so he can grow up to be a smart,law abiding adult.
Hey all you handsome,healthy BMX'ers, could you please comment on the other article or send in a new post. It's interesting to hear what you have to say but this is an old article and it's getting hard to find. Plus it already has over 90 comments. Thanks
The sadest part of all of this is the many many points that are being ignored in this situation. ONE: tax payer money built that park and TWO the taxpayers were not given a say in whether or not it was removed. THREE whether they are playing basketball or baseball or skateboarding or biking they are ALL Mullica Twp kids whose parents pay taxes for them to live here and be able to use that rec. FOUR The cops DO NOT adequately patrol the rec. Unfortunately I see police cars parked many many times in places they could not possibly be doing anything constructive. I am the mother of one of those skaters/bikers and I KNOW he has never vandalized that park, and I have heard the stories of others kids who HAVE. Believe me the kids who are doing the damage are the one who have nothing else to do...so i hope you are all pleased. You have just taken away one of the things that made Mullica a nice place to live, and one of the things that kept kids busy and out of trouble. Seems you are all too concerned with wasting money on things other than the quality of life here. I am increasingly disappointed in this township and very very sorry that we made the choice to move here.
From the comments on this sight I would say that most taxpayers are happy the skatepark was removed. The skatepark did not make Mullica a nice place to live, one need only to look at the videos posted by the kids themselves. I am also very happy to have made the choice to live here.
"The skatepark did not make Mullica a nice place to live, one need only to look at the videos posted by the kids themselves"
So kids riding their bikes and skateboards in the skatepark made the entire town look bad?
No genius,they made the skateprk look bad.
well the poster in front of me did not say that.
The videos of Piney BMX were appalling!! Filthy language, ripping the back panels off the ramps, misuse of picnic tables and trash cans. No wonder most municipal skate parks don't accept bikers. No, not all bikers are bad, but whether the bikers want to admit it or not, they ARE more destructive than a skate board to the ramp. Skate boards are smaller, have hard but small wheels. Bikers that refute their part of the damage don't know what they're talking about. In addition to being many times heavier, faster,and having more momentum than a skateboard, ramp damage can all too easily occur if a handlebar, pedal, or God forbid a PEG!!!!! Not to mention the way bikers THROW their bikes down in a bail. The Municipal Excess Liability Joint Insurance Fund (MEL JIF; njmel.org), which Mullica is part of, is the firm that insures just about ALL the public skate parks in NJ. Their guidelines are very strict, in which the town must dot its I’s and cross it’s T’s in order to be GRANTED insurance for the skate park, as well as maintain it.
Mullica, like most other municipalities with skate parks, should have done their homework a little better, in terms of materials. Though these were metal-framed ramps, the actual skate surface was nothing more than a paper-based phenolic commonly known as Skatelite. At best this stuff is no better than PLASTIC!!!! (Even Middle twp/ Goshen found this out. Their park is built with the exact same materials as Mullica. It allowed bikes before but recently banned them because of..... you guessed it..... DAMAGE!! )
As ridiculous as it would seem to construct pro-grade baseball bats out of hard plastic instead of aluminum or wood, using plastic on a skate ramp is totally absurd!! The companies that build these skateparks, in their pamphlets, claim they can stand up to BMX abuse, yet its quite interesting the town realizes otherwise. But they should’ve thought for themselves and considered concrete instead, not letting these wheeler-dealers dupe them. Often when a project gets out to bid, these ramp companies are quick to hop aboard, claiming to be a more economical alternative to concrete. Despite concrete being more expensive upfront (which it doesn’t have to be if you know the right people.....) It is definitely more durable in the long run and requires far less maintenance, making it the best choice for permanence. Even if it was skate-only, the park should’ve been designed so that even abusive actions, like the bikes, would have done far less damage.
Also, a creative idea in order to keep bikes out would be to erect vertical posts at the gate for the skaters to squeeze thru. This was done in Bayonne.
No I am not entirely siding with the skaters or against the township. The township actually did better than many others, in my opinion. I’m only saying if things were done differently, it would probably still be there today, 3 years later.
I am a skater who also enjoyed Mullica skate park, and despite being upset over its closure, I thank them for keeping it open as long as they did, ad for the memories.
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