Skate Park Will Be A Dream Come True

To the Editor:

As the current chair of Donate to Skate, I feel compelled to I write and clear up some of the mud that has been slung around the letters to the editor in recent weeks regarding the future skateboard park. Fundraising, planning, and constructing a skate park is a hefty labor of love and a positive campaign to improve the lives of countless young athletes and their families. Any attempt to tarnish those efforts, especially by those who have been completely uninvolved in all aspects of the process, is truly disheartening.

Newtown is blessed with a fabulous Parks and Recreation director, Department, and Commission, all dedicated to maintaining beautiful parks and excellent programs for residents of all ages. Rest assured that they have everyone’s best interests in mind and have not taken the skate park process lightly. Having been involved in the process myself, I can tell you that their diligence in planning the park has been no less than stellar, with research being conducted primarily by Director Amy Mangold. All information and opinions were given fair consideration, and a great deal of time and effort has gone into the process. “Field trips” were taken to various skate parks, and contact was made via telephone with parks and municipalities which were not reachable by car. Different construction and design methods were investigated, and input and suggestions were taken from many sources, including not just other skate park owners and municipalities, but skate park design and construction companies and local skateboarders themselves.

The skaters of Newtown were entirely involved in the process of designing the skate park. They attended numerous open design meetings with Newtown Parks & Recreation and Donate to Skate. They completed surveys, gave valuable input, and voted on many different designs before choosing a winner. They are absolutely thrilled about the park and were enthusiastic and grateful to have been part of the planning process. 

Being a native Newtowner raising three skateboarders here myself, I can tell you that the park will be a dream come true for generations of residents. Donate to Skate, Newtown Parks and Recreation, and countless others are vested in the success of the park and the safety of our kids. Those of us at the heart of the campaign truly appreciate all the support that we have from residents and town officials. Our efforts will come to fruition, and there won’t be a dry eye in the skate park on opening day! I hope you’ll all be there to enjoy it with me.

All the best,

Erin Heneghan

56 Appleblossom Lane, Newtown                               March 17, 2010