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A skate park of their own Photo by Jim Craven A group of Central Point eighth-graders has been working on a plan to create a park for skateboarders. The students, from left, Chaz Lytle (on board), Dain Lewis, Derek Marshall, Tony Drake and Philip Fischer, have proposed a ramp and rail skateboard facility at Liberty Park. Central Point kids want to develop a little-used city park By SARA MURPHY CENTRAL POINT -- When the final bell rings on Tuesdays at Scenic Middle School, a group of eighth-grade boys wearing baggy pants and beat-up sneakers heads for the library. No, they're not going to detention. The boys have been meeting with Central Point police Officer Dan Brown since November to work on their shared dream of building a skateboard park for downtown. They're drawing up plans, brainstorming fundraising ideas and gathering signatures for support. The group has decided that Liberty Park, a three-quarter acre scrap of grass near the Grange Co-op gas station on Highway 99, is an ideal site for their ramps and rails. "The city's owned it for 25 years and they never really did anything with it," says eighth-grader Chaz Lytle, the group's unofficial leader. When the City Council met Thursday to discuss the future of Liberty Park, City Administrator Jim Bennett introduced the boys' idea to the council members, who unanimously welcomed the project. "The more activities we have in the city to keep children occupied positively, the better," says Mayor Bill Walton. Bennett says a local business had inquired about buying Liberty Park and the council was considering whether to sell the property, which the city received from the Oregon Department of Transportation in the late 1960s and early 1970s. "The whole idea of selling it is that we would want to invest those funds in other parks," Bennett says. While considering the sale, city officials learned of a stipulation in the ODOT deeds: If the city stops using the land as a park, it must pay ODOT fair market value or relinquish the property, Bennett said. Walton says the city wouldn't be able to make enough profit by selling the park, assessed at $75,000 to $100,000, to make losing it worthwhile. Still, Liberty Park isn't a prized picnic location, although some folks have watched the city's July fireworks show from the lawn. "It doesn't have much in the way of facilities," Bennett says. "I think it has a trash receptacle, a couple of picnic benches. It hasn't got a lot of use, probably because of the location." But the skaters say the park's location, near the town's main intersection of Highway 99 and Pine Street, is perfect for a skateboard park. It's centrally located with good visibility for police patrols. "The state police are right there, in case somebody gets hurt," says skateboarder Derek Marshall. It's not in a residential area, where neighbors might complain about noise. There's a small parking lot, a nearby telephone and a mini-market. "They've obviously put some thought into it," Bennett says. "I think it's a great idea. The kids should have something like that here in Central Point." Before the City Council commits to the project, Walton says the boys will need to submit design specifications to the city's planning commission. "As far as the city putting out money, we haven't evolved to that point yet," Walton says. Four Jackson County cities have built skateboard parks in the past few years. A park in Talent, which covers roughly 15,000 square feet, cost about $60,000 cash and even more than that in donated land, labor and materials, says Allison Zigich, the city's volunteer coordinator. Zigich says Talent paid $35,000 to build the park, while the city's Urban Renewal Agency donated the land and $10,000. "The kids use it all the time, rain or shine," Zigich says. "It's just really a great deal." The Scenic boys, many of whom have visited the Talent park, think it's a great deal too. They're tired of being asked to leave downtown parking lots. "A lot of places kick us out because they're scared we're going to get hurt or hurt some old granny or something," Lytle says. ``Skating keeps us out of trouble, except when we're getting kicked out." Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA