ARLINGTON The Arlington skate park located on 188th street will be getting a facelift in the next year. Plans are already in the works to expand and upgrade the facility. A Saturday, Oct. 13, meeting held at the Boys and Girls Club allowed local skaters to voice their concerns and opinions on what changes are necessary.
Priorities include putting in motion detection lighting for those wishing to skate at night, moving the fence back to allow more open space, adding a graffiti wall to encourage graffiti artists to display their work there, and expanding the park itself with more concrete and obstacles.
Also discussed was the concern over having bikes in the park along with the skaters. Bikes use steel pegs in order grind on the concrete and marble slabs. This causes more friction than a skateboard deck and wears away the edge faster. Talks are underway to build a dirt bike course to alleviate some of the strain on the facility.
Public works director Len Olive led the meeting along with Kristy Brubaker. Olive pronounced that renovations would be completed within the year and that the committee would have a rough draft for expansion by the middle of November.