Skateboarders learn how safe fun can be

NORWOOD — A group of young skateboarders, determined to put an end to a long community dispute that had pitted them against community members, is designing a skateboard park they say will keep them safe and off village streets.

More than a dozen skateboarders from Norwood-Norfolk Central and one from Potsdam Central have been working once a week since the middle of June with Clarkson University graduate student Steve Kennedy on the design of the park.

Mr. Kennedy is a fellow in Clarkson's Grades K-12 program through the university's Office of Educational Partnerships, which pairs university students and staff with area school districts.

Mary Margaret Small, who runs the partnerships office, said school Superintendent Elizabeth Kirnie had approached them with the idea of working with these students in an attempt to end the tension between the skateboarders, the police and the village.

"I am a graduate student in mechanical engineering, and I'm funded through the K-12 Program by the National Science Foundation. The goal of our program is to get kids excited about science, technology and math by using exciting curriculums such as roller coasters, concrete and skateboarding," Mr. Kennedy said.

The group has been meeting once a week on Tuesday afternoons since June 18. They have learned about scale drawing, forces, kinematics and energy, according to Mr. Kennedy.

"We are not too far along in the design process as we are still learning the basic skills necessary to design a safe and fun skate park," Mr. Kennedy said.

Skaters John Paul Tebo, Brandon Sawyer, Carl Peacock and Chris Stone made a presentation Tuesday night to the Village Board of Trustees.

Mr. Tebo said the skate park will enable them to increase the safety of the skaters, which has been a concern of village officials, and provide less interruptions to other community members and businesses downtown.

Mr. Sawyer said they toured other skate parks including small ones in Ogdensburg and Gouverneur and a large $500,000 facility in Brockville, Ontario. They compared the materials at each park in order to design what they felt was the best fit for Norwood.

"We really need one, and we need a place to go," Mr. Tebo said.

Norwood Mayor James H. McFaddin said he is looking forward to seeing their finished design in September.

In the meantime, Mr. McFaddin said the village will continue to make improvements to the area they have designated currently for the skaters on a tennis court at the beach on Lakeshore Drive.