Skatepark cleanup could lead to night lights
Volunteers and members of the Cottonwood Shores Volunteer Skatepark Committee and Cottonwood Shores Parks Committee gathered for a workday at the city’s skatepark March 6. Courtesy photo
The nights should soon be bright again at the Cottonwood Shores skatepark, at least that’s the hope of the Cottonwood Shores Volunteer Skatepark Committee, which held a workday at the park March 6 with the Cottonwood Shores Park Committee. Both are volunteer groups, one self-selected to take care of the skatepark, the other appointed by the City Council to oversee all city parks.
About 25 people representing both groups were at the skatepark on the corner of Maple Lane and Brookwood Drive, picking up trash, brush, and debris, cleaning out weeds, and painting over graffiti. Skatepark committee members also powerwashed the pit.
“They did an amazing job,” said city parks committee chairwoman Andrea Stephens.
The parks committee holds a park cleanup day once every two months, so when Stephens heard the skatepark committee was having a workday March 6, she and her crew decided to join them.
The skatepark committee, led by skater Joey Specht, first came on the city’s radar in January. Specht introduced his group to the council during the citizens’ comments portion of a meeting. He told the leaders his group wanted to work with them to turn the lights back on at night. Lights were turned off in the fall because of excessive trash, including alcoholic containers, being left behind at night.
Since then, Specht and his group have been diligent about maintaining the skatepark. They meet regularly to paint over the graffiti, remove and touch up chipped and cracked concrete, and pick up trash. Specht reported those tasks to the council about a month ago.
Lights are a big motivator for the skaters, Stevens said.
“To show my support, I gathered my committee,” she said. “I did advertisements to get more volunteers. The City Council handed over the decision to turn the lights on to the mayor (Donald Orr) and the city administrator, J.C. Hughes. We should be turning those lights back on very soon.”