Ortonville- The village council made it official July 28? the Village Skate Park will not open this year.
However, while the 2014 season is shut-out, the council is giving a glimmer of hope for the park opening again in 2015.
‘We will try registration again next year,? said Village Manager John Lyons. ‘If they sign up, we’ll open it? if they don’t, we won’t.?
But if the park again fails to receive at least 30 sign-ups, Lyons said his recommendation next year will be to permanently close the park. The village received only one sign-up this year for the park. That person paid the $20 registration fee, which was returned. Village officials instituted registration and user fees two years ago, in order to pay for a skate park monitor to reduce issues at the park, located at the corner of Ball and Cedar streets. Problems at the park since its opening in 2004 have included vandalism, profanity, drug use, noise and littering.
With the skate park monitor, those problems were mostly eliminated at the Village Skate Park. The lack of sign-ups, however, have led Lyons and council members to believe perhaps area interest in skating and biking at the park has simply waned.
Lyons plans to have boards removed at the park to prevent liability and trespassing issues. If the park does not reopen next year, the skate park equipment would be returned to Brandon Township.