Skaters lead charge for Tinton Falls skate park

Skaters lead charge for Tinton Falls skate park
Proposed for site of former municipal complex
BY KENNY WALTER Staff Writer

TINTON FALLS — Joined by a small army of skateboard enthusiasts, a Tinton Falls man made his case for the Borough Council to pursue the building of a skate park on borough property.

Resident Michael Nesci presented the council with a petition with more than 400 signatures of people who support the idea of the council using open space funds to build and operate a skate park behind Borough Hall.

“I am speaking on behalf of the Tinton Falls skateboarding community on a proposal for a skate park in Tinton Falls,” Nesci said during the June 15 council meeting.

Nesci, who was joined by about 30 supporters, gave the council some history on how difficult it’s been to skateboard in the borough.

“I’ve been part of every recreational sport imaginable, soccer, baseball, basketball, Boy Scouts and all while doing this, I’ve been skateboarding everyday,” he said. “Growing up and skateboarding here in Tinton Falls has been difficult.

“There is no designated facility for skateboarding here in Tinton Falls or the surrounding towns. Skateboarding for my friends and I resulted in us getting kicked out of virtually every spot.

“We are going to skateboard regardless of whether there is a place or not,” he added. “If there was a place, we’d be there, but since there isn’t, we are going to skate where we can.”

Nesci said there are concerns with liability issues related to a skate park.

“Speaking of a skate park leaves liability on your minds,” he said. “Luckily here in Tinton Falls we fall under the Monmouth County Joint Insurance funds, where we are covered for a skate park.

“They see a skate park as no different than any other recreational sport such as football, soccer and baseball.”

Nesci also said he would do his part in ensuring the safety of the skateboarders.

“On top of being fully covered, I am going to donate my time to teach safety lessons for the park,” he said. “I have already been selected by the Tinton Falls Neighborhood Watch to teach a program in general on safety biking and skateboarding.”

Nesci said that since the borough already owns the land for the skate park, it makes the creation of the park easier.

“Another topic is location; luckily for Tinton Falls we own a lot where the previous municipal building once stood,” he said. “It has plenty of space and there is plenty of parking, and on top of it, we own it.

“Right from the get-go we are saving money not having to purchase land,” he added.

Another benefit from the land behind Borough Hall is the constant police presence.

“Since the park is so close to the police station, it is being monitored 24/7,” Nesci said. “That is a benefit most towns do not have; they usually have their parks hidden in the corner, hidden away from the public.”

N

esci said the borough already has the

funds for the park and can also seek outside funding.

“I’ve been working with the Open Space Committee for several months now and the committee has sufficient funds for purchasing a skate park,” he said. “On top of having sufficient funds in the open space account, we are also going to apply for an open space grant provided by Monmouth County.”

Nesci’s skateboarding connections may have also saved money on the project, which Nesci projected would cost over $200,000.

“We are working with a company with Spohn Ranch from California,” he said. “I’ve spoken with a gentleman who used to live in Long Branch but now lives in California and builds skate parks for a living.“ Right from the get-go, we are saving over $50,000 working with them because they are a state contractor for New Jersey.”

Nesci said Spohn Ranch has helped with the design of the park.

“Spohn Ranch has already designed the park for us free of charge,” he said. “Spohn Ranch worked very hard trying to put together what every skateboarder in the town I’ve talked to wanted.”

Nesci said that because of the design, the park is expected to last a long time.

“It is a concrete park, precasted with stainless steel,” he said. “The [equipment] is going to last for many years.”

Nesci expects a wide range of ages to utilize the park.

“All ages, you go there at 10 in the morning, you are going to see guys my age and older,” he said. “When school gets out, all the kids flood in.”

Nesci said the next closest skate park is in Long Branch, which has been successful.

“If you go past Long Branch on the hottest day of the summer, you see kids at the park,” he said. “If you go by during the winter at 30 degrees, you’ll see kids at the skate park.”

Nesci said that the materials that would be used in Tinton Falls would be better than what was used for the Long Branch park.

“With the concrete design the maintenance is at a minimum because concrete lasts a lot longer than the plastic that they use at the skate park in Long Branch,” he said. “There is more maintenance for those with cracking and chipping.

“It is precasted in California and brought over, so the way they pour it is going to last a lot longer.”

Nesci said that litter is a problem, but he expects the skateboard community to keep the park clean.

“You go to Long Branch you see garbage cans and you still see garbage on the ground,” he said. “We can coordinate and say every Wednesday we clean the park.”

Nesci said the skate park also would benefit neighboring towns.

“I can see it not just helping our community, but the surrounding communities as well,” he said.

Nesci concluded his presentation by summarizing support for the park and putting the onus on the council.

“We are fully insured, we have the money, we have the land,” he said. “We have over 1,100 supporters on Facebook and a petition as well.

“You guys can make this happen for the skateboarding community, and I want to move forward and see where we can go with this.”

The council was impressed by Nesci’s presentation.

“I think you did a terrific job, I’m very impressed,” Councilwoman NancyAnn Fama said. “You came here very well prepared with a lot information for us to know because I don’t think anybody on this dais has skateboarded on a daily basis.”

“Thank you all. It is a tremendous job you’ve done,” Councilman Gary Baldwin said.C

ouncilman Andrew Mayer, who is a member of the Open Space Committee, said that having a skate park would alleviate problems with skateboarders around the borough. The committee listed a skate park fourth on its list of priorities for open space acquistion.

“This is the proper type of place to use when skateboarding instead of using and damaging private property of the storefronts,” he said.

Mayer went on to say that the committee requested that the parking lot be separate from the park.

“The location seems like a good location,” he said. “Primarily they would like to see fencing to separate the parking area from the skate park.”

Nesci also said that the park would not include lights, would be free of charge to use and that helmets would be required by anyone using the park.

Contact Kenny Walter at kwalter@gmnews.com.





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