Port Skate Park Looks Like it May Become a Reality

It's not a question of "can we" anymore. It's becoming more and more of a "when we" build a skate park in Port Washington. At least that's what a packed room understood Councilman Fred Pollack promise during Wednesday's Town of North Hempstead skate park brainstorming meeting at the Port Washington Senior Center in Manorhaven.

In fact, Pollack said he will authorize the issuance of a request to find a qualified skate park designer at the next Town of North Hempstead board meeting on May 18. He said, "If we do it, we're going to do it right."

The founders of Skaters Need a Park in Port (SNAPP), Howard and Karen Cohen, along with Robert Laker, have heard similar reassurances during their two-year quest. However, it appears that the community now supports their endeavor more than ever because there are too many skateboarders and their families to ignore, especially when they skate down the middle of Main Street or in a busy parking lot.

"We have to build a park before something awful or irrevocable happens," said Sherry Klein, a Port Washington parent with grown children. "Maybe someday my seven-month-old granddaughter will skate, but in the meantime, let's get it up and running this year."

Several community representatives were in attendance at the meeting including  members of the Port Washington Police Department. Sergeant Steve Cardello said he believes that a park is beyond necessity. "We are in full support of a skate park," he said. "We will do anything we can to move this along."  

Although not in attendance at the meeting, Dr. Geoffrey Gordon, Port Washington School District's Superintendent of Schools, voiced his approval in other ways. He said in an e-mail, "I will lend support because this will be a positive outlet."

Over the past few months, there have been informal discussions as to the best location for a park, including Sunset Park, Manorhaven Park and the town-owned properties at North Hempstead Beach Park. Eric Pick, a local architect, summarized the advantages and disadvantages of each but said, "Just do it." He added, "As a senior citizen, I'd like to see a park built sooner than later so let's cut the red tape."

SNAPP presented Pollack with a petition calling for a skate park in Port with more than 1,000 signatures. "This is a no-brainer," said Rich Rappaport, a Roslyn resident and the owner of Oil City, an indoor skate park in Oceanside. "You have the rare opportunity to build something from scratch."   

Jim Kallenberg, a long-time advocate for a skate park, lent his opinions as well. Kallenberg encouraged the town to look into the old roller rink down at Manorhaven Park and added that it's probably large enough to fit a 10,000-15,000 square-foot park. "Skateboarding is a surge that's getting bigger and bigger." Kallenberg concluded.

Frank Scobbo, a resident with deep roots in Port and the owner of Foundation Systems added, "The old rink [at Manorhaven Park] could support a new concrete structure and could be completed quickly,"

Fellow supporter Joe Antonik encouraged people who are curious about skateboarding and parks in general should check out a comprehensive Web site, www.skatepark.org. He also gave a brief history of the sport and added that many other towns on Long Island have either built parks already or have plans to do so.

There weren't any dissenters that voiced their disapproval at the meeting although representatives from PAL and the Port Washington Water District have said they don't want to see any structures built at Sunset Park because there "isn't enough room."

The ball or skate is now in Pollack's court. Stay tuned.