Chatham Teens Make Pitch To Save Skate Park

CHATHAM, NJ - The death knell that was sounded for the Chatham Township skate park last month may have been premature as officials responded to requests from current and former users of the facility to save it.

During last Thursday's Township Committee meeting residents from Chatham Township and beyond asked that the skate park be relocated as the current site is slated to be overrun to fill Chatham's affordable housing mandate.

Chatham Township Administrator Thomas Ciccarone noted that the Township Committee stated publicly that they would look to find a new place to relocate the park to. And Ciccarone said that is an active conversation.

"I can't tell you where that is because it is a sensitive negotiation. But it is something we are actively pursuing," Ciccarone said.

You can see his remarks at around the 47 minute mark of the video here.

Sharon Roche of Green Village Road said at around the 51 minute mark of the video that she is hopeful they will find a new site for the skate park because it is "very critical for our kids." She credited the skate park for providing an that gave kids something to do, especially the at risk students.

Madison resident Laura Sedlak is a 2001 graduate of Chatham High School and said she was there when it first opened.

"It was my classmates their friends and other generous adults that spearheaded the effort," Sedlak said. "I saw firsthand the change it made it people's lives."

You can see her remarks at around the 57 minute mark in the video.

Christian Cottam, 13, said that the park provided a safe place for kids to have a recreational activity.

"The park has given me a place where I have made many friends and kept myself out of trouble," Cottam said, noting he had been going there since he was 11. "When my friends and I found out the park was going to be torn down forever, we were devastated."

You can see his remarks at around the 65 minute mark in the video.

A long line of people gave testimony on why the park should be saved and some made attempts to get more information out of Ciccarone, who said that all options were on the table including relocating the park out of Chatham Township.

"As you well know we have a joint recreation department, a joint school district we have a joint library, all options are on the table," he said.

Out of all the speakers making their appeal it may have been Cottam who summed it up best.

"I really hope the committee can find a way to relocate the park instead of just taking away something that has been nothing but positive for us here in Chatham," he said.

(Photo courtesy of Google Earth)

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