Advisory board studies how to make skate park more user-friendly

A fledgling board wants to meet with skateboarders to get feedback on how to make the Woodland Skate Park more user-friendly.

Kalispell's skateboard advisory board told some of its members Wednesday to start contacting skateboarders to set up such a meeting.

"If we get more awareness, get a little more cooperation, that's a step in the right direction," board member Patrick Brook said.

This was the second meeting of the new city skateboard advisory board, which is trying to address problems with rules being broken, people being intimidated and the area being trashed at the skateboard park.

The chief problem is a lack of supervision at the park. Police and parks department employees - facing budget cuts - cannot continually staff the skateboard park area other than periodic checks.

Volunteer supervisors would be handicapped by a lack of authority to enforce rules, especially with skaters who have graduated from high school.

"There's a problem with the older skaters because we can't supervise them," board member William Bower said.

As Brook put it: "We're dealing with people who are not in high school and not in junior high schools. … It's the 25-year-olds who still act like kids that you worry about."

"You can kick a person out of the skate park, and he'll come back the next week," board member and Kalispell police officer Steve Hoover said.

Board members talked about skateboarders' need to police themselves, but added that a lack of a formal framework would handicap those attempts.

The board is asking the city to move some large garbage containers closer to the skate park, hoping more people will use them.

The board meets on the second Wednesday of each month. The next meeting will be at 6 p.m. Jan. 14, at the city parks department building.

Reporter John Stang may be reached at 758-4429 or by e-mail at jstang@dailyinterlake.com