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Bring in coupon and receive $50 off first months rent when lease is signed! 1 +2 BR Apartments Available CALL FOR SPECIALS! Minutes from BGSU Pet friendly community Utilities included Located at: 300 Napoleon Road in Bowling Green 419-262-2514 Semester Leases Skate park observes opening, exhibits community teamwork By Kevin Eis Reporter Although Mother Nature changed her mind with rain toward the end of Friday eve- ning’s festivities, the afternoon paved the way for dozens of skateboard enthusiasts and onlookers who participated in the official grand opening of the city’s new skate park. Located in the far south- west corner of City Park, the 6,000-square-foot montage of concrete and steel features an impressive collection of ramps, dips, rails, stairs and a pool for four-wheeled devotees of all ages and experience levels to hone their skills. “We’ve really been get- ting positive feedback, sur- prisingly even from col- lege students—your more experienced skaters who said, ‘yeah this is nice and challenging’—but it’s still welcoming to new skaters,” said Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Coordinator Kristin Otley, who oversaw Friday’s grand opening extravaganza. While the official ribbon- cutting took place upon the park’s completion in late November of last year, Otley and the city staff held off for more accommodating condi- tions to officially recognize the park. However, there was no shortage of eager skate artists ‘shooting the pool’ throughout the chill of fall and winter, with some even shov- eling snow in order to practice their craft. “Some of the finish work wasn’t done; light poles and things like that weren’t done,” Otley said on the park’s incep- tion. “We just thought it wasn’t the best time of year (for a grand opening). We knew they were going to use it, so we let them know it was done and let them use it. And then in the spring (we decided to) do something really cool, something really big, some- thing really fun and more of a grand opening.” Before that vision could be realized, though, there were funds to be raised in addition to years of planning to ensure the completion of the skate facility, which was designed by Who Skates of Kennebunkport, Maine, and constructed by A A Boos & Sons of Oregon, Ohio. As Otley pointed out, some financial means were avail- able through the Parks and Recreation budget. Much of the necessary funding was provided courtesy of private community donations. “Finding the money was really the biggest thing,” she said. “The youth came and said, ‘hey, there’s a need here.’ And the city recognized that. The mayor was actually the one that said he’d be more than happy to have a skate park at this space in City Park. It was a matter of getting the youth organized, getting them out in the community, and letting them know that there really was a need, and then raising the money.” Local skater Chris Parsons, 18, was one of several resi- dents responsible for accom- plishing the task. As a skate- boarder of 10 years, Parsons explained the need for such a venue along with his fellow skaters’ appreciation of having the new refuge to practice an art form which is sometimes thought of as troublesome. “We had nowhere else to go,” Parsons said. “We had a skate park in the mall, then they closed that and we had absolutely nothing. We could always go to the campus, and then we’d get in trouble there.” But now, thanks to the col- lective efforts of all involved, that problem may be squelched due to the open- ing of the new park, which contains stair steps for gaps, hovers and rails along with manual pads. “It’s got everything but a mini-ramp,” Parsons said. With the addition of the new skate facility, the camaraderie among the skateboard com- munity has grown stronger, Parsons said. “We all got a lot closer and stuff like that,” Parsons said about the skateboard com- munity. “I mean, everybody’s always here, especially for a good time all-around.” Parsons’ sentiments were echoed by Burt Purley, 30, of Toledo’s Team, Just Skateboards, a semi-pro- fessional skateboard pack of 14 years which made an appearance to highlight the special occasion. “I like this because they took a couple of (ideas) from California, which is where it originated from, and they try to bring it here,” Purley said, an original Just Skateboards member who has been riding for nearly 25 years. “Like these little hovers right here, that’s straight from San Fran(cisco). That’s awesome … these kids are going to get to train on this. That’s cool that they’ve even got a cement park.” As for the art of skating, Purley stressed that the ben- efits of skateboarding reach far beyond perfecting tricks on four wheels. “This is as close to freedom as you’re going to get in life in gen- eral,” he said. “Skateboarding is it, I’m telling you.” Addressing any potential insurance and liability issues, Otley stressed safety first at the newest addition to City Park, pointing out a well- maintained facility, includ- ing lights, and clearly-posted rules which is required for the city to be protected by Ohio’s Recreation Immunity Law. “Unless we knew there was a spike sticking up and we didn’t do anything about it, then we would be negligent (due to accidents),” Otley said. “It’s the same thing with hav- ing a soccer field out there or a baseball diamond or a playground or anything.” In addition to spectators being treated to an afternoon of skateboard flash from locals as well as Team Just Skateboards, music was pro- vided by FM 88.1 along with live musical acts Hemline Theory, Boogaloosa Prayer and Smoke Theory. The peo- ple in attendance at the free event also enjoyed food pro- vided by Qdoba Mexican Grill. With hopes of the skate park providing fun, free- dom and enjoyment for an abundance of years to come, Otley thanked all those involved to make the skate park endeavor a success. “The community supported this,” said Otley. “We got some Poe Road to be one lane during construction Students traveling throughout Bowling Green this summer may have to find a new way to class. Starting today, Poe Road will be reduced to one lane from the railroad tracks to the inter- section at Dunbridge Road. City council met Monday and confirmed construction projects on Poe Road and on East Wooster Street. Public Works Director Brian Craft said the construction on Poe Road is set to last six to eight weeks with the project wrapping up in CITY BRIEF mid-July. He also said while work on East Wooster Street is still in the early stages, once the actual road repairs begin it will last between two and two and a half weeks. Barrels on Poe Road were scheduled to go up Monday, but Craft said the recent heavy rain delayed the project. If the weath- er continues to be an issue, construction will be pushed back until conditions improve. Craft said it is important for anyone traveling to watch for signs and pay atten- tion to the detour. Both construction projects are part of a stimulus project, funded through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. The act passed in 2009 and was established by the Obama administration to create jobs and provide economic growth as a response to the recession. As for the East Wooster construction, Craft said his department is scheduled to meet with contractors to discuss sidewalk and roadway repairs that will take place on the north and south sides of the street. The side- walks will be replaced between the railroad tracks and Prospect Road as the roadway is worked on from Prospect to Enterprise. During one phase of the construction, a section of Wooster Street will be com- pletely closed off to drivers, Craft said. “That will be the paving day,” Craft said. “When they are there doing the milling, traf- fic will be maintained through that corridor. But the day we actually pave it, we will have a detour set up like we did last fall.” BYRON MACK | THE BG NEWS AIR: Justin Herman, 17, of Bowling Green High School practices doing a Kick Flip Christ Air. BYRON MACK | THE BG NEWS GRAB SOME AIR: Ed Simpson ,21, of Bowling Green pulls off a mid -air Nose Grab Friday afternoon for the grand opening of the skate park. BLOTTER SAT., MAY 14 12:00 A.M. James R. Weinandy, 49, of Bowling Green, was cited for operating a vehicle impaired, possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia within the 400 block of S. Grove St. 12:25 A.M. Manfred Julien, 23, of Bowling Green, was cited for nuisance party regulations. Cody C. Palmer, 20, of Genoa, Ohio, was cited for underage possession of alcohol. Trenton H. Sheets, 20, of Bowling Green, was cited for underage possession of alcohol and marijuana and was arrested on active warrant from the Wood County Sheriff’s Office. All three occurred near South Main Street and East Napoleon Road. 1:44 A.M. Anthony A. Kaufman, 20, of Bowling Green, was arrested for drug abuse, carrying concealed weapons and offenses involving underage persons after being found with hallucinogenic mush- rooms and a “throwing star” type weapon near East Napoleon Road and South Prospect Street. 2:44 A.M. Shaun M. Frey, 18, of Weston, Ohio, was cited for littering on public property after throwing his cigarette butt out the passenger window of a vehicle near North Prospect and Ridge streets. 7 P.M. Robert J. Sheeks, 40, of Bowling Green, was arrested on active warrant from Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office. 7:29 P.M. Levi R. Billau, 22, of Toledo, was cited for driving under suspension/non- compliance within the 400 block of E. Wooster St. 8:35 P.M. A complainant reported a purple and yellow see-saw stolen from the front yard of a house within the 1000 block of E. Wooster St. The see-saw has “Delta Sigma Pi” painted on it and is valued at approximately $50. 9:41 P.M. Hongru Li, 20, of Bowling Green, was cited for driving outside license restrictions within the 800 block of Klotz Road. 11:00 P.M. Victor A. Brito, 25, of Bowling Green, was cited for disorderly conduct/nui- sance party regulations and Alan Mykel Greason, 20, of Detroit, Mich., was arrested for underage/under the influence both within the 500 block of E. Merry Ave. 11:01 P.M. Oscar A. Garcia, 18, and Jose L. Puente, 18, both of Toledo, were cited for underage under the influence of alcohol within the 200 block of N. Church St. SUN., MAY 15 12 A.M. Darin Matthew Carrow, 24, of Newark, Ohio, and Jaime Garcia Jr., 20, of Leipsic, Ohio, were cited for disorderly conduct/fighting at the Cla-zel. 12:21 A.M. Shawn R. Laver, 21, of Delta, Ohio, was cited for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia near Pike Street and Thurstin Avenue. 1:13 A.M. Lloyd L. Belmon, 27, of Toledo, was cited for disorderly conduct/fighting at Uptown Downtown. 2:56 A.M. Brandon James Cooper, 23, of Maumee, Ohio, was cited for no operator’s license and driving under suspension near South Enterprise and Grant Street.
