Built With A Grant In 2017, Town Tears Down, Sells Off Skate Park

EAST HAVEN, CT — Since Thursday, there are two Change.org petitions with a combined more than 1,000 signatures, a dedicated save-the-skate-park Facebook page, and a slated protest against the elimination of the town's skate park.

On new recreation director Liz Franco-Spano's recommendation, the town began tearing down the East Haven Skate Park, and auctioning off the equipment. The skate park was located at the Joseph Melillo Middle School on Hudson Street.

Funded, and built, in 2017 with a $200,000 state grant through the Local Capital Improvement Program (LoCip), the 6,500 square foot skate park included custom ramps and rails.

Patch contacted Franco-Spano about a report she created that informed her recommendation that the skate park be torn down. The matter was on the March 15 Recreation & Athletic Commission agenda as something that would be discussed and possibly acted upon. As of Friday morning, those minutes were not yet posted, but were posted shortly before this story was published. There was no public input on the fate of the park.

On the skate park Facebook page, several East Haven residents commented asking why it's being removed and why there was no notice.

"This is awful. My kids loved it there and have never encountered any problems with other skaters that were much older than them. Why would they take it down," wrote an East Havener who works for the school district. "Yes, trash has been left, but trash has been left all around town. I really would like to know where or who we could ask what the reason is for this?"

Joanna Despotakis does not live in East Haven, but said that it was, "admirable for the town of East Haven to give children a place to go to learn a new hobby. I’ve met many girl skaters just starting out there as I did."

Now, she and others are lamenting the closure.

"I’ve been skateboarding since I turned 22, I’m 26 now, and I began learning at the skate park. It’s been a wonderful journey, and I’ve made many connections with friends of all ages at that park," she said.

But Franco-Spano said the park was "not a safe place to have kids use."

"When I was hired in the role of the recreation director, my first goal was to assess the town's resources for our kids and families. It was very evident that the skate park was often being utilized in a manner it was not intended," Franco-Spano said. "The area of the ramps was often covered with alcohol nip bottles, trash and at times needles. This was not a safe place to have kids use."

Franco-Spano said that as the skate park is next to two of the town's schools, "children would see these items along with graffiti and profanity on a daily basis."

"I reached to neighboring towns to see if they had skate parks and if so did they encounter the same issues we faced. All of the towns I spoke with had their parks removed due to similar issues," she said.

"I presented my findings to the recreation commission, I recommended it be removed and we use the space for a different form of recreation," she said. "The commission agreed and voted to have the park removed."

Patch contacted the East Haven Police Department to see if police are called to the skate park for issues like Franco-Spano described.

"Since the East Haven Skate Park was installed, we have responded to several complaints regarding quality-of-life issues, including trespassing and noise complaints," said police Capt. Joseph M. Murgo.

"Officers are mindful of these issues and make it a point to pass through the area during their patrol shifts," he added.

The town listed the "full skate park, disassembled," up for auction on Govdeals.com. It's noted that bidding starts at $500 for the equipment "used by the people in the city of East Haven" that has "normal wear and tear"and "some graffiti on there that can be painted or scrubbed off."

Franco-Spano said that selling the park's pieces at auction was a "town decision," but one that she agreed with.

"I support their efforts to replace the funds spent on these items," she said.

When asked what the plan is for the location, Franco-Spano said the town is looking into next steps, with the skate park soon a memory.

"We are certainly planning on using this space for recreation in a much broader spectrum," she said. "We are exploring options of such as pickle ball courts, but rest assured that this area will offer exciting recreation options for our residents."

In a statement issued to Patch by East Haven Mayor Joseph A. Carfora, he said the town moved to tear down the park after Franco-Spano's recommendation.

He said Franco-Spano, who's been in the recreation field for nearly four decades, was asked to "evaluate our recreation facilities and parks" when she came on board last year. She "queried other communities, evaluated the neighborhood, monitored the location, its use, who was using it, and in what fashion it was being used," he said.

"What she found was concerning. Frankly, very concerning," Carfora said, adding that "all too often," per Franco-Spano, "loitering, alcohol bottles, drug paraphernalia were all too often found." And he said that "racially and anti-Semitic graffiti was unfortunately too often found and remediated."

"While we never like removing facilities, we intend to repurpose the area for recreational use, and we are excited to do so in a way that will serve our community in a much broader scope," Carfora said. "In addition, we are attempting to ascertain the value of the park material in the open market, and then will discuss with the state what our options are with those funds."

The latter because the park was funded with state LoCip dollars.

In the recreation commission meeting minutes for March 15, posted a few hours after Patch contacted the town, it's noted that every member voted to have it removed.

In the minutes, it's noted that Franco-Spano had concerns "with drinking, drugs,
graffiti, and safety." And, East Haven Public Works director Charles Coyle told the commission that workers found "nips, garbage and unfortunately needles as well. "

As Franco-Spano told Patch, she contacted nearby communities including North Haven and Branford that also closed their skate parks for "the same reasons as well as the liability." She said "insurance for the skate park is very high and increases every year."