Skaters facing lockout at city parks

Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2003 | 10:58 a.m.

Violence, drug use, curfew violations and vandalism have city officials considering a temporary lockout at some Las Vegas skate parks.

The Las Vegas City Council is to hear a report on the problems Wednesday.

City officials say they do not want to permanently close any of the skating facilities at 10 parks; however, they have not ruled out temporarily closing some to encourage compliance with laws.

The Skate Park Safety Coalition says it hopes its report will serve as a wake-up call to parents and youths to help Metro Police and city marshals rid the facilities of troublemakers and avoid any interruptions of service to the thousands of area skateboarders, in-line skaters and BMX bikers and enthusiasts.

Since its inception last November, the skate coalition has held four meetings and has drafted an informational flier to educate skate park users about the coalition and what constitutes unacceptable behavior in parks.

The flier would read in part: "Will our skate parks be closed? All Las Vegas Valley municipal skate parks are in danger of partial or indefinite closure. ... There is a zero tolerance policy in effect."

The flier, which is part of the report, says violations include "fighting, stealing, assault" and destruction of "landscaping, benches, lights, shade structures, bathrooms" as well as "graffiti tagging, littering, curfew violations (and) use of illegal drugs or alcohol."

Billie Bastian, recreation division manager for the city, said it appears that "very few" people are causing the trouble and that a number of them are not even skateboarders. Still, she says, it is up to the legitimate users of the parks to anonymously contact authorities when troublemakers show up.

"It is not our intent to close the parks," Bastian said. "We have identified the problems and we want to take pro-active measures to prevent escalation and reach resolutions. But we also want everyone to know they (parks) are at risk to intermittent closures."

Dean Mattson, a member of the Skate Park Safety Coalition, which is composed of more than 20 skate enthusiasts, business operators, city and Clark County officials and law enforcement members, agrees that a warning is necessary in the wake of recent problems at the parks.

"We certainly can understand that the City Council may have concerns over this report," Mattson said, noting the coalition has seen similar problems at county skate parks. "But we aren't recommending shutdowns. We just want to promote safety for everyone."

Mattson said skateboarding is enjoying tremendous popularity, especially among the Generation Xers.

"We've held a few 'Vegas X' events with attendance ranging from 1,500 last November at Durango Hills to 3,000 last August at Doc Romeo Park," Mattson said.

"Starting this February, we will be holding eight skate events culminating with a special event in October to promote safety. The city also holds skate board and BMX clinics and classes. We definitely want to keep this going."

Thano Ellis, 27, a longtime local skateboarder and manager of the Industrial Ride Shop, a skateboard business in the Meadows Mall, says there is great concern among the area's young people over potential park closures.

"This is a family sport that starts with the family," Ellis said. "It's up to the parents to teach their children to be responsible. Unfortunately, you have a lot of parents who work until 6 p.m., and they are just using the skate parks as after-school babysitters. That's not the parks' intended purpose."

Ellis said when he was growing up in Las Vegas there were no skateboard parks, and it was a long haul to get them.

In the late 1980s, skateboarders complained to city fathers that they were being chased from shopping centers and other public venues. In response, local governments built half pipes, rails and ramps for kids to enjoy their sport.