By FRANCISCO E. JIMENEZ
Staff Writer
reporter@sbnewspaper.com
Local skateboarders are voicing their concerns over what they believe are the deteriorating conditions of the equipment at the San Benito skatepark as well as its location.
Nineteen-year-old Jorge Flores of San Benito skates at the park, located at the corner of South Travis and West Rowson streets, on a daily basis, but he said its location – which is in the vicinity of a number of bars – deters him and other skaters from enjoying the amenity.
“I would like to see a new park (in another destination),” said Flores on Thursday afternoon. “Our park is already getting rusted, and stuff is breaking. The bars are close-by. Us skaters, we’ve seen stuff happen like fighting there. Not as many skaters go there anymore.”
Flores, who has skated since he was 6-years-old, said that he has seen the number of people using the skatepark drop from an average of 20 to 30 people down to about 10.
When the News took said concerns to Mayor Joe H. Hernandez, he said that it was something the city would research.
“One of the reasons we built (the skatepark) there was to see if we could do away with all the bars and convert them to something else,” said Hernandez. “The bank has the lot right behind it, so we were going to ask the bank if they would somehow donate the other portion and add to it. I don’t see anything wrong with having the skatepark centralized in the city. This is where the kids roam around. That’s one of the reasons that we did it there as well.”
Hernandez explained that when the permits expire for the current bars in the location, the city would not be issuing anymore in that area.
“That was about the only place that was available at the time,” Hernandez further noted about the park’s current location. I don’t know where we could do something like that where the kids wouldn’t have to walk far. The most available space would be there, but that’s something that we could look into. It raises a concern.”
Attempts to reach City Manager Manuel Lara for comment were unsuccessful as of presstime Friday.
Read this story in the March 10 edition of the San Benito News, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.
4 comments
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Its 2014 and they still haven’t done nothing about it look at Brownsville they already have 2 skate parks.
Here is a link to a facebook page of a citizen trying to improve conditions for the skate park 😀
https://www.facebook.com/rgvwoodpushers
everyone who is interested go join so we can get some more like minded people involved and let the city see that the skatepark shouldn’t be next to the bar district and the conditions should be improved upon.
My son is interested in skating, but i have never felt comfortable allowing him to go to the skate park in its current conditions or location.
The City refuses to fund Parks and Recreation and do it right, yet they waste hundreds of thousands of dollars each year on things such as that ugly, garish electronic sign that no one can see except for those walking on the trail, bloated City Administration, deluxe vehicles for managers, expensive security systems, and so on.
I am from los fresnos but by chance drove by there last week. I was shocked grafiti all over and I thought I saw a dealer just standing in the corner. But leave it to politicians to make decisions like this. They should build it by the boys and girls club and help them with funds instead of wasting money buying a old funeral home.