Safety concerns nix park

The skate park next to Huntington Beach High School is headed for demolition, after the Huntington Beach Union High School district’s board members voted this week to end its lease with the city.

The unanimous vote terminates a lease with the city and offers $75,000 to help build a new park, also waiving a $50,000 fee the city would have had to pay to demolish the structure. The demolition comes as part of plans to build a new stadium at the school.

Just a few people spoke to the board about the park, much fewer than at a City Council meeting last week when dozens spoke in opposition to losing the venue. The park has a long history of helping kids, Huntington Beach resident Peter Townend said. His son, Tosh Townend, grew up at the park and is now a professional skateboarder.

“He started in that park,” Townend said. “I’ve been going there for a long time. He’d be here tonight, but today he’s a professional skateboarder and in Arizona.”

But the school’s athletic director, Roy Miller, said the skate park was too close to the school’s fields and exposed students to unacceptable behavior such as expletive-filled cat calls. The skateboarders also left behind trash like beer bottles and urinated in the park, he added.

Most of the skaters are well-behaved, but there are a few bad apples, Miller said.

“The women’s track coach won’t even take them by that park,” he said. “Comments are made, and she can’t even use that part of the track.”

Last week the City Council voted to end the lease, calling it the best offer they could get out of the school district. But council members said money constraints would mean replacing a park might take a while. City staff estimated a new park might cost $600,000.

Trustee Matthew Harper called the deal a good one for the city.

“This offer is an outstanding gesture on our part,” he said. “Parks are the role of the city. It is the role of a city to provide open space. It is the role of a school district to educate students.”

Board President Michael Simons said residents should work to find sponsors and push the city to build a new park.

“All of us feel a skateboard park is great for kids,” he said. “Where it is now is not the best place for it.”