Arlington Heights Park District commissioners have endorsed the idea of an outdoor facility for in-line skaters and skateboarders.
Commissioners acted Tuesday night after hearing teen members of the Arlington Heights Skating Committee present a list of 19 possible sites for such a facility.
About 50 teenagers have been working since last fall with the Arlington Heights Youth Commission to evaluate potential sites and to raise money for the project.
“The sooner we can get it done, the better,” said Youth Commission Chairman Kathy Scortino.
The teens advocate one main site with several smaller sites scattered throughout the village.
Skating parks are becoming more popular throughout the state, Scortino said, because they help park districts and communities reach a segment of the population–teens–who have traditionally been difficult to reach.
Though park commissioners said they like the idea, they added that some of the locations proposed by teens for skate parks weren’t feasible because they already were designated for other uses.
Skating Committee member Brandon Wojcik, 16, said he wasn’t discouraged.
“They (park commissioners) helped us see what the possibilities are,” Wojcik said.
Some of the possibilities include Greenbrier, Ivy Hill and Patton School Park.
Skating Committee members will work with park district staff to determine which, if any, of the sites are really possible.
They also plan to make a presentation to the Village Board, similar to that given to the park district board, at a future date.
