UPDATED: In Disrepair, Skate Park is Closed

This story has been updated to include information from the East Brunswick Recreational Enrichment Club.

A group of teens and their parents want the township to reopen the Township Skate Park on Dunhams Corner Road.

Township Administrator James White closed the park in July after it was determined to be unsafe for use by the municipal Joint Insurance Fund. White said Division of Recreation Manager Michael Reissner is looking at estimates to get the park repaired.

According to White, JIF’s report indicated that each apparatus inspected appeared to be in extremely poor condition, with surface pieces loose and cracked and screws poking through. In addition, the inspector found that the skaters at the time weren’t using safety equipment, users were riding BMX bicycles in it and that there were no rules and regulations posted (White said the rules and regulations are frequently vandalized and have ended up in the nearby lake and woods several times).

Council members said they’re looking at alternatives to repair and renovate the park, but it will remain closed until it is deemed safe. They also said that if the park had been maintained regularly it might not have fallen into disrepair.

“I hope we can repair and open it,” said Council President Michael Hughes. “The first step is to get some numbers and get some quotes and see what it’s going to cost. I’ve used the skate park, I grew up in town, I’ve been there.”

Several residents spoke at Monday’s Township Council meeting, including skater Daniel Grunberg, who urged council members to come and look at the park for themselves.

“In addition to it being very valuable to me, it’s also valuable to the township to promote healthful recreation and a healthful outlook for kids,” he told the council.

Grunberg, who is a member of the East Brunswick Recreational Enrichment Club, said part of the problem is that the park undergoes a lot more wear and tear than most other township parks and that its decline was gradual.

“I’m sure you all know, skateboarding and roller blading is not a gentle sport…it’s not like tennis, where you’re hitting the ball over the net. This is definitely used and put to the test and that should be taken into account.”

Kathy Shinbrough, whose son Kai approached White with had earlier approached the township to volunteer to help repair the park’s surface, agreed with Grundberg.

“Until the day it as closed what we were hearing was that it was the surface that was the problem, not the equipment. The equipment might be a little bit chipped—it really was very minor—and to have the whole skate park closed because of shipped Masonite on top of these ramps, it’s really hard to take."

Recreation Enrichment Club Members said Kai and Daniel Chostko initially alerted the Parks Department of the disrepair and met with White to discuss possible volunteer work to fix the park. After it is re-opened the club hopes to present the council with a plan for maintenance of the park, including re-pavement every 5 years.

However, Township Council members said that while they want to repair and open the park as soon as possible, it must remain closed because it is a liability to the township.

“Personally, if this were in my backyard, I’d let people use it,” said Hughes. “The difference is, we are a municipality, and once an insurance and safety consultant comes out and publishes a report that’s given to us, that says this needs to be closed—God forbid anything happens to someone in that facility and we have this report that says this needs to be closed, then we are on the hook.”