EDITORIAL: Half-pipes and hefty fees at Riverhead park

When Riverhead teens talk about harrowing half-pipes, they may not mean the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, but YouTube videos of their skateboarding exploits at Stotzky Park.

Yet, as the town board discovered recently, supervising skateboarding at the park can produce logistical headaches worthy of an Olympic venue. A letter from 14-year-old Wes Ackley so impressed Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter that he invited the ninth grader to read it before the board. Ackley not only persuaded the town board to consider lowering its stiff fees, but also to confront some larger questions about governance.

Eight years ago, Riverhead spent $1.2 million to build the facility in Stotzky Park, hoping to provide a safer place for skateboarders, away from streets and parking lots. But in time, use of the park declined. Ackley blames higher use fees: up to $100 yearly for out-of-town skaters, which one board member called "taxes on 12-year-olds." But town officials say they are losing $20,000 a year trying to maintain and supervise the park. Regulations pose another problem for skaters - some shun the facility because it quite sensibly requires that they wear knee and elbow pads.

The town is trying to find a way to keep the park running, but Ackley's letter reminds us there are limits to what governments can do, despite good intentions. Not every problem can be solved by spending, regulation and taxation (even in the name of use fees). And not every problem - not even the previous lack of a skatepark - requires a government solution. hN