Nambucca Heads’ skate park is a bowl of controversy with the park’s neighbours lined up one side and skaters the other.
Following a string of complaints from community members, Nambucca Shire Council Mayor Rhonda Hoban met with concerned Meadow Crescent residents to discuss the impact the skate park was having on their lives.
As a result, she directed council’s safety project officer to conduct an audit of the park, using crime prevention through enviromental design (CPTED) principles.
The audit, which provided a positive profile for the skate park with no glaring threats to youth using the park or residents living in the vicinity of the skate bowl, was presented to council’s June 3 meeting.
This outcome did not appease residents’ ongoing concerns, so a delegation of affected homeowners fronted council, arguing for further action.
Neighbouring property owners Jim Teasel and Mark Novicky were two residents opposed to the existence of the skate park. Mr Teasel said location was the major issue surrounding the park.
“We are the unfortunate ones who have to live directly opposite the skate park,” he said.
Mr Teasel said he had been verbally abused by users of the skate park and alcohol was being consumed at the site.
“The skate park has a lack of adult supervision and leadership.
“In the 20 years I have lived at my address, I never once had to call the police... it has only been since the skate park was built that I have had to contact police,” Mr Teasel said.
Mr Novicky agreed that the skate park was poorly supervised.
“To date every code of conduct has been breached,” he said.
“Pre-skate board park, there were no incidents in the area, post-skate board park there have been many.”
Nambucca Youth Services Centre representative Peter Lea said he attended the skate park regularly throughout the week and on weekends. “The vast majority of skaters respect the code of conduct,” he said.
“There have been a lot of positive outcomes since the park has been built.”
Mr Lea emphasised the point that footpaths were now safer for pedestrians since the construction of the skate park, removing skaters from the street.
He also said that the consumption of alcohol in park areas was not limited to the skate park but occured in parks everywhere.
Skater Daniel Duong regularly used the new facility. He said the problem was that members of the community had stereotypical views of what sort of people skaters were.
“I have been a skate boarder in Nambucca Heads for nine years.
“I am at the skate park every day and support the young kids who are into the sport.
According to Mr Duong, between 15 to 25 young skaters used the park each afternoon.
It was not just locals who enjoyed using the facility, four skaters from Coffs Harbour marvelled at its scale and design.
“We have come down to skate here, this skate park is so much better than the one at Coffs,” Sam Horspool said.
“It is one of the best I have skated at.”
Looking to other council models for answers may provide a solution to the current impasse facing the future of the skate park, it’s users and those living nearby.
Taree’s skate park experienced similar social problems for a period of time before Greater Taree City Council youth services took action to quell community fears.
“The community was upset with people using the park as a space for drug and alcohol abuse, the mess left behind and grafitti,” Greater Taree City Council Youth Development Officer Bree Dennis said.
“The people doing this were not skaters, but it caused community outrage all the same.
“Council realised that the only way to combat the problems created by the skate park was to implement a management strategy.
“This was done via users of the skate park forming a committee and working with council to manage their own facility.”
According to Ms Dennis, local kids were signing up to become council volunteers to help develop, manage and maintain the skate park.
This included keeping the skate park clean, notifying council of grafitti and ensuring that park users adhered to the code of conduct.
“It took a crisis for this action to occur,” Ms Dennis said.
“If the kids can be actively engaged to bring about positive change to the skate park’s environment, it may be more effective in reducing associated problems.”
Nambucca Shire Council resolved to obtain a report regarding the history of attendances at the skate park before it took any further action.
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