While the Taxpayers of Salisbury & Wicomico County continue to wait for what is right and necessary, finally, someone took it upon themselves to create a fundraiser to get the ball rolling for young people locally.
For far too long young people have watched businesses that cater to their wants and needs close their doors in Salisbury & Wicomico County, while Salisbury University plays the biggest roll in boosting the local economy.
If I was one of these Student, I'd be outraged! The reinvestment back into the largest chunk of the economy is vital, yet the City of Salisbury does absolutely nothing to keep things balanced.
A Skate Park has been discussed for years and is probably one of the least expensive investments the City/County could buy into, seriously! ALL they had to do was put it together and for years they could come back saying, we listened and we delivered. Instead, citizens have to do it themselves and quite frankly I'm personally extremely disappointed in Rick Pollitt and Barrie Tilghman on this issue.
I personally think they're throwing it in the faces of SU Students, bitching about their behavior and passing laws that quickly throw these Students in Jail should they become too loud. GIVE THESE STUDENTS SOMETHING TO DO!
I have always spoken highly towards Rick Pollitt. I have called his Office weekly with ideas "I" felt could help their cause and 90% of what I've offered seemed to be very well received and quite frankly, some of them have become law.
The bottom line here is, the City/County need to take partnership with this Group and make this a success. They need to pony up some land and make it work. Perhaps add a Driving Range to the Skate Park as well. Maybe some batting cages and BAM, you've got yourself one heck of a place that could recoup your investment!
Congratulations to this group for putting this together. Do let me know if the Mayor's Office and Rick Pollitt's Office contact you and partner up with you. The Students deserve better.
GO HERE for more information.
10 comments:
I whole heartedly agree!!! The skatepark we had some years ago was always busy the time I spent there. I practically lived there!!
We need solutions to these problems,not more government BS. These kids NEED something to do.
Where do I send my donation?
In defense of Rick Pollit, he did have money in last year's budget for the County Department of Parks and Recreation to apply towards the skatepark project. It was however voted out by the County Council. Also, the City of Salisbuty is partnered with the skatepark committee. There is a city representative that attends all of the meetings that are held by the skatepark committee. Wicomico County also has someone on this committee, and provides a place for the meetings to be held. The County is also donating the civic center to be used for the fund-raiser. The City and County have also stated that they would both donate land for the skatepark to be built. I'd say that says that both agencies are "behind" the project. However, neither County nor City has any extra money to hand out for this project at present time. Hence the fund-raiser. Hopefully the fund-raiser is a sucsess and when we approach the City and/or County this year for money, they will see that this is a credible cause and budget for the skatepark
SU students HAVE something to do...study.
How about the College take some of THEIR millions and build one on college property. say, the dresser parking lot!
The SU housing and noise level issues have nothing to do with a skatepark being built in Salisbury. The quickest way to turn "local" Salisbury citizens against this project would be to partner it up with SU. So let's not drag SU's problems into this. Getting the skatepark built is already difficult enough. Besides, there are more "local" skaters that live right here in Salisbury that would benefit from this skatepark than those that attend SU.
And in answer to the first "anonymous" commentor... if you want to donate to the skatepark fund, contact John Terrell @ the Wicomico County Department of Parks and Recreation.
What about the students or kids that don't skate? I'm only 30 years old, but I do know that when I was a kid, it was our responsibility to find something to entertain ourselves, legally. I was taught better than to act up, be loud and become society's problem and my parents sure as hell didn't think it was the government's responsibility to entertain me. I think that this is what is wrong with society today, the role of "parent" has been diminished to "birth-giver", once the kid pops out, it now becomes everyone elses responsibility to raise, entertain, educate and teach right from wrong while the parents are missing from the equation. I personally do not want my tax dollars wasted on this. The construction is one thing, factor in the yearly maintenance, insurance (you better have plenty for this type of park) and security.
Then WTF do you call the Salisbury Zoo?
That cost the taxpayers MORE than a million dollars a YEAR!
Sometimes I wonder about you people, seriously. Give these people something to do and a place to go and crime will also go down.
Wow! you mean that just by building a skate park, our crime rates will plummet?! Why don't we open skate parks all around the country. I'm game for it if it will stop the drug dealing and prostitution! Seriously Joe, I believe people should earn something, we shouldn't give them something so they won't tear up everyone elses. I actually believe crime would go UP if a skate park were put in. you would have arguments and assaults and everything else that comes with unsupervised teens.
"What about the students or kids that don't skate?"... how can you seriously ask that question? There are a multitude of things for "non-skater" children in this area to do! Just stop and think for a minute. I'm not going to list them all here as I don't have all day to type them and I'm sure there is a character limit. "I was taught better than to act up, be loud and become society's problem"... You see this is a prejudice statement. You assume that "ALL" skateboarders are criminals. Just because they look different, they're cast out and shunned. Oh wait, they do break the law! They're forced to skateboard where it's posted not to because they don't have anywhere to else to! Look, the crime rate is NOT going to go down "WHEN" we build this skatepark. But it's not going to go down if we don't either. That's not the purpose! The deal is that there are plenty of skateboarders in this area to support this project and it needs to happen, simple as that. It's NOT a waste of money! And we ARE earning it. We're raising OUR OWN MONEY! So Mr. "All Skaters are Criminals" I got something for you to do. Go to Emmanual Wesleyan Church this Friday night. Take 3 hours and meet and talk to some of the 300 or so students that are there. Then maybe you could post comments on this topic that are actually BASED ON SOMETHING!
That has to be a joke... Seriously, you're going to tell me that the giant shuffleboards at the park, the tennis courts, baseball fields, all that is okay, but a skatepark is not? Look at Whitehorse Park (is that the name of it?)... There's like 3 people a year that bring their horses there and trot around the hundreds of acres, perfectly manicured by the government, so don't talk about a little slab of concrete that will most likely be hidden from everyone's view since skateboarding is such a "horrible sport." Give the kids a break, let them have a place they can go and do the one thing they enjoy more than anything else and stop trying to conform them to your boring iealistic ways. Let them expand outside the box and find what really makes them happy.
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