Petition: Skate Park Improvements

Skateboarders in Milford are signing a petition that asks town officials to restore the skate park at to what it was a few years ago, when the ramps were in decent shape.

Nick Eosco, 17, started the petition two months ago on an online petition site. It had 59 signatures as of Friday. According to its introduction, supporters want kids to have a safe place "to do what they love."

"Kids need a place to go to ride, kids are always getting kicked out of places to ride," the petition states. "They see kids with skinny jeans or baggy clothes with long hair and think we're doing something wrong like vandalizing property, or breaking into cars."

The skate park is a small, fenced-in portion of that used to be a tennis court. The ramps, made of plywood and metal sheeting, are deteriorating and have gaps and broken pieces.

Skaters say the ramps are dangerous because they snag the skateboards. And when they've made their own ramps, and hauled them on to the site, skaters say town workers have removed them.

A few years ago, the skate park was in good shape, said Eosco, who started the petition. "Realistically, I'd hope they'd want to spend some money on the ramps."

Jesse Young, 23, of Ashland, who grew up in Milford, comes here to be with friends. The park isn't what it used to be. About seven or eight years ago, he said, it was in good shape. Not anymore.

"It's kind of dilapidated, falling apart, neglected."

Without a decent skate park, he said, skaters turn to places that have slopes or features they can use for jumps:, or an area behind

Tini Leong, 14, of Milford, who signed the online petition a few months back, said the skate park needs the attention. "They should look into this and try to rebuild this."