CITY HALL DOINGS New skate park movements BY SAM PFEIFLE

If one message came out of a City Council workshop this past Monday, it was that though the current Marginal Way skate park’s days have been numbered for quite some time, that number is quickly getting smaller. It looks to be a strong possibility that the council will finally vote this coming Monday on the final particulars of a long-debated land swap with the Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT), which was theoretically completed in 2003, but for which the state has refused to lift a railroad right-of-way easement that would actually make the city-purchased land worth something, and open the doors to hundreds of millions of dollars in development in the Bayside area.

The particulars? The land the city will be giving to MDOT will include a right-of-way along Marginal Way, which includes the current skate park. "Eighteen months" was a time-frame thrown around at the meeting for being able to open up a new park. Is the city in any way obligated to open a new park? No, but councilors like Karen Geraghty, Will Gorham, and Peter O’Donnell were particularly interested on Monday as to the status of work on finding a new spot for the park.

To that end, a meeting was held July 11 with representatives from the city offices of Parks and Recreation and Planning, the skate shop Ride 207, and the non-profit entity looking to build a new park in Portland regardless, MENSK. At the July 11 meeting, six potential locations were discussed, including Deering Oaks Park, Payson Park, and the park that fronts Back Cove on Preble Street. However, the most viable options were narrowed down to Harbor View Park on Commercial Street (see "A New Skate Park for Portland?," May 13, by Sam Pfeifle) and the Dougherty Park tennis court area (near the public pool). Then a report from MDOT was offered, whereby the state agency expressed concerns about anything being built underneath the Casco Bay Bridge, as they need that area clear for bridge maintenance.

That left Dougherty Park.

Councilor O’Donnell was upset that the council’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC) was not part of the deliberations on location — "to say that I am flabbergasted is an understatement" — but the interested parties have only started meeting about locations since June, and the YAC only meets during the school year, so it was unclear what he was so riled up about. In fact, the July 11 meeting included talk about involving YAC in discussions once school starts again in the fall.

Councilor Geraghty made particular point to address the skaters who attended the meeting, concerned that they would lose their park and have nowhere to turn. "Do you have some comfort that you could give me?" Geraghty asked.

"We’ve identified a couple places that will work very well," MENSK’s Eli Cayer assured her. "The Dougherty Field location would work out fine."

"Better than what you have now," Geraghty asked.

"Absolutely," said Cayer. "It will be designed better for all abilities. We’ve definitely made some really good headway."

Councilor Gorham, who represents Munjoy Hill, offered that his 12-year-old son thinks that anything west of King Middle School (ie, Dougherty Field, which is west of St. John Street) is too far away.

Mayor Jill Duson closed the meeting, then asked Cayer if there might be something scheduled down at the current skatepark, like a demonstration, to which she could bring her son.

"Not really," replied Bob Smyth, another local skater, "the skate park’s not really set up for skating."