Skateboard summit planned for Monday

Meeting seeks solutions to skate-park problems

The Kalispell City Council wants to talk skateboarding with anyone and everyone - especially skateboarders and people using Woodland Park - at 7 p.m. Monday at City Hall.

The workshop is to discuss skateboard-related issues at the park and in downtown Kalispell.

The Woodland Park issues include numerous complaints about vandalism, underage drinking, drug use and harassment.

The downtown aspects include a request by some local skateboarders to loosen restrictions on skateboarding in central Kalispell.

"What we want to do is air out what we might do in public and to hear from users. The answer to our problems is to get the users on board," said Mike Baker, director of Kalispell Parks and Recreation.

Baker and police Chief Roger Nasset have sent a memo to the council that contends significant actions are needed by the city government and park users.

Police responded to the skateboard park at least 90 times from May to September 2007. "And if things continue as they currently are, we expect to exceed that number this summer," the memo said.

Meanwhile, parks workers are daily picking up litter, replacing signs and removing graffiti. A surveillance camera has been vandalized several times.

Last summer, city employees provided on-site supervision at the park.

"After the season, the workers refused to return and subject themselves to the disrespect, vandalism to their vehicles and threats from the park users," the memo said.

For police officers, patrolling the park "is amongst their most undesirable duties because of the negative culture and disrespect," the memo said.

In past interviews, Nasset and Baker have said a small number of few people have caused problems, but the vast majority of skateboarders and park users behave well.

Baker said potential solutions that would be discussed Monday include:

. Staffing the park, which would be expensive during a time of tight city budgets.

. Shortening the park's hours from the traditional sunrise to sunset.

. Re-examining enforcement of helmet requirements.

. Closing the park temporarily as a punitive measure.

. Sending violators of park regulations to the youth justice system.

. Expelling people from Woodland Park. Expelled people who return could face trespassing charges.

. Increasing loitering and parking restrictions.

For more information, people can call the Parks Department at 758-7715.