Northpinellas: Skate park on way to Largo -- again

LARGO -- Clamor for a downtown skate park goes back nearly a decade, when youngsters in baggy shorts rode their skateboards along sidewalks of places like Largo Mall to the annoyance of shopkeepers and police.

"It really scared us to death," said mall manager Cindy Hoppes, who remembered two occasions in which skateboards crashed through glass storefronts. "We were really concerned about (the kids') safety."

In that time, St. Petersburg built a skate park and so did Dunedin. Largo, though, is still without a park.

Managers within the city's parks and recreation department say there isn't a park because the city has struggled to find a suitable location. Nevertheless, some commissioners say they remain committed to the idea and think Largo could see a park by year's end.

"It is long overdue," said Commissioner Harriet Crozier, whose re-election campaign included creating more activities for youths between the ages of 12 and 15.

Initial park discussions began in 1994, when police met with officials from other city agencies and parents of skateboarders. Merchants said the youths were scaring off customers by skateboarding in front of their stores. And city workers said they were finding scratches on well-regarded venues such as the Court of Honor in Largo Central Park.

The youths weren't happy either. Police were issuing citations and trespass warnings and confiscating skateboards.

Parents and youths met every other week at the Police Department to discuss options. They searched for a vacant warehouse, building or storefront with high ceilings.

Three years later, the city seriously considered building a park. A city committee on at-risk youths made it its top priority. City recreation and parks director Cathy Santa looked at skateboard parks across the country, trying to determine how much a park would cost to build and whether Largo could raise the money privately for construction costs.

In January 1998, commissioners approved plans for a park that could be used by skateboarders, in-line skaters and some bicyclists. The park would be a 15,000-square-foot slab of smooth concrete surrounded by a chain-link fence. Ramps would offer opportunities for challenging stunts.

The project would cost about $150,000 to build and $26,000 a year to maintain.

But there was still the problem of where to put it.

In July 1999, the parks director suggested building it at Bayhead Athletic Complex on Seminole Boulevard, just south of West Bay Drive. That way, it would be conveniently located near Largo high and middle schools and Largo Central Park.

But the project was delayed when soil tests showed that much of the complex is built on unstable ground. The city is trying to work around that problem. Cost estimates for building the park could be brought before commissioners on May 8. A recent estimate listed a $344,000 price tag.

If all goes well, construction could start in July. Before then, city officials hope to form a focus group of young people to guide the city on the park's design.

David Wight, 12, of Largo and his friends, Sean Smith, 12, and Jonathan Carlstrom, 11, both of Seminole, already have ideas. They know all the skateboarding lingo and were recently skateboarding at the mall.

They believe the Largo skate park should be open from 3 to 11 p.m. on school nights. On the weekend, it could be open from 10 a.m. to midnight.

Now, the boys could go to Central Skate Park, on Ulmerton Road, just east of U.S. 19, but Wight's mother said it is too far.

So for now, Wight and his buddies practice stunts like nose grabs (holding the tip of the board) and roast beef (grabbing the edge of the board) along the little vacant space available at the mall.

"There's open space," Wight explained. "Sometimes it's trouble, but we still do it. It's kind of hard because there are people around."

Hoppes, the mall manager, said she doesn't see as many kids skateboarding at the mall anymore.

"It's probably a greater problem when the kids are out of school," she said.

Meanwhile, Allen Arnold had been frustrated by the kids riding past his florist shop on Main Street in Dunedin. He said the Dunedin skate park has taken some of the skaters off the road but, "There are still some kids who like to travel on their skateboards."

Crozier said she is dedicated to helping the city find a spot to build the park.

"If we are a bedroom community and family-oriented, we've got to have the activities for middle-aged youth to go to," she said. "To me, it's very important we have that."

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