Calling it a danger to those who skateboard there, an insurance inspector for the town of Oak Bluffs has called for the town skate park on the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven road to be closed immediately.
Paul Chipman, senior risk control consultant for the town’s insurance carrier Trident Insurance, sent a letter to town administrator Michael Dutton on March 19 laying out his concerns about hazardous conditions at the park, while recommending it be closed immediately.
By COOPER DAVIS
The grass parking lot of the West Tisbury Fire Station was filled with some classic Vineyard vehicles — Volvo wagons, small pickups and of course, Subarus. Some cars were left running, stereos sending reggae music wafting through the stiff April winds. The bleachers were crowded with Islanders young and old, braving the sunny but chilly day to witness the first annual Island kickball classic.
School is back in full swing and already there is a test. This time, it’s not a question of passing or failing, but of doing the best trick and bringing home the cash. So put down the number two pencils and break out the skateboards. Saturday, skaters of all ages and all levels are invited to turn out to the Martha’s Vineyard Skate Park, listen to some live music and hop on their boards.
Less than two months after earning rights to share the new Martha's Vineyard Skatepark, bikers are once again being told to keep out.
The reversal came Monday night during an emotional parks department meeting moments after commissioners heard pleas from teenage bikers anxious to stay in the park. In the end, commissioners bowed to the advice of Oak Bluffs' insurance agent and town counsel to ban bikers.
It was built for skateboarders after a grassroots effort that lasted years, but less than three months after the Martha's Vineyard Skatepark opened in Oak Bluffs, the skaters are dealing with some uninvited guests - bicyclists.
Life at The Ledge: Skateboarders Soar, and Wait for New Park
By JULIA WELLS
It's a weekday afternoon in downtown Vineyard Haven, and the sounds of early autumn are all around. On Centre street, a narrow side lane that angles steeply west of Main street, a light breeze ruffles the canopy of venerable old shade trees. But on this day there is also another, more distinctive sound in the air. It's the whack of composite hitting pavement, followed by the low thunder of wheels rolling.