Smart Growth for Vernon, CT
Skate park considered for Vernon

By John Kennedy
Journal Inquirer
Published: Friday, November 23, 2012 1:00 PM EST

VERNON — The Rockville Community Alliance is working to build a skate park in town, President James Sendrak said.

The project is gaining steam, Sendrak said, and the alliance is in the process of forming a nonprofit group that would run the park if it is constructed.

This association, which would include parents and children, would operate much like a Little League or Pop Warner group, Sendrak said.

Thomas A. DiDio, a member of the community alliance as well as the Town Council, said that once the nonprofit is formed, the group will be able to take donations and target various organizations, such as the Tony Hawk Foundation, for funding assistance.

Sendrak said nothing has been formally requested of the town, and the group is in discussions with town officials about the project.

Sendrak added that the town has an interest, but there’s no location, managing body, or a source of money.

DiDio noted that it may take a while to get it all going, and that a next step may not be made until after Jan. 1.

Henry Park, some school property, and vacant downtown lots are all possibilities for locations, both Sendrak and DiDio said.

“Ideally, you want to put it where the majority of the kids are,” Sendrak said.

He also said that Jeff Hutton of Earthworks Landscaping is working with students at Rockville High School for specifics regarding the layout of the park.

“We want it to be more than just concrete ramps and empty pools,” Sendrak said. “We’re really trying to keep it from being an eyesore.”

“We want to have a first-class skate park,” DiDio said.

Sendrak said he’s not worried about teens treating the park badly or causing trouble. He noted that a number of avid young skateboarders between the ages of 10 and 16 come to meetings about the park.

“True skateboarding kids are highly protective of a specific environment created especially for them,” Sendrak said. “They don’t want any negative light shed on their own area.”

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