By By KATHIE HEMPEL / Niles Daily Star
NILES – Niles Skate Park is open again after graffiti left behind by vandals has been removed.
The city closed the skate park when the graffiti was discovered.
For the young people who use the park, it seemed to be closed for an eternity.
"Wise up. I wouldn't be vandalizing my own park. We know they will close it. It's not fair," said Aaron Floor, 18, a student at Niles High School.
He has enjoyed hours of boarding at the park as a daily visitor. For him it is the challenge of mastering something new.
Floor is interested in talking to some of his friends about getting a crew together for a type of adopt the park program. He knows the same kind of thing has been successful for highways.
"We would be so supportive of that idea. We would help them with anything they need to do the job," said City Administrator Terry Eull said.
According to Neil Coulston, Director of Public Works for Niles, costs for this kind of vandalism normally will cost $100 to $500 depending on damage. The graffiti was not the only problem keeping the park closed.
"Someone had dragged in wood, concrete and even dumped trash out of a park container to use the liner in one of the bowls. If the trash problems continue, we won't rule out having to close the park because of it," he said.
The regular trash of tin cans, cigarette butts and food wrappers are just other forms of vandalism as far as the city is concerned. It all adds to the cost.
"We hire a contractor for grounds maintenance on Monday, Wednesday and Friday between April 1 and November each year. This becomes part of their work, but at other times we need to send in streets workers," Coulston said.
All those who were at the park as it reopened yesterday afternoon had a message to the vandals. None of them welcomed the notion of another closure.
"Stay away," Mike House of Buchanan said.
House comes down to watch his best friend, Ryan Prentice, 15, do his moves in the park. A skateboarder since he was 12, Prentice uses the park as a release of sorts.
"This allows you to get away from everything else and concentrate on just you and your board. It's good thrills, even though it has its ups and downs," he said.
Two teens missed using the skate park so much that they risked arrest by clmbing the fence to skate in it when it was closed. The two, in their early 20s, were arrested for trespassing on March 20.
The city has signs posted, clearly outlining the rules and regulations of the park. Both Coulston and Eull recognize the young people in the park cannot stop vandals on their own. They don't want them to.
What they do want anyone seeing vandalism and any trashing of the park to do is to call Crime Stoppers, anonymously at 1-800-442-7867. Those at the High School who know the liaison Officer Kevin Kosten are urged to pass on any relevant information to him.
"Ninety-eight percent of the kids who use the park are great kids. We know that. We spent a great deal of money on this. Why would we want it closed?" Coulston said.
Jacob Hemphill, 16, of Niles pointed out how easy it is to keep the trash under control. He points just outside the fence by the gate to the park.
"They have the trash bin right there. Use it."