Fight this as hard as you can Kearns People. FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT. I lived down the street from a park with a skate park in it. The language and filth of the kind of people using that sort of free facility is awful. My kids couldn't even play at the tennis courts because of the threats of the kids riding skate boards on it. Of course.. they would leave when anyone official came by. There are other options... fight for them.

Kearns, I am in the same situation that you soon will be in if this thing goes through. My backyard is in line with a skate park, and a beautiful park that surrounds this skate park. OUR LIFE has been anything but GRAND since this park opened it doors. Oh sure they have rules, but you know as well as I do kids do not read rules, and the parking lot becomes their skate park when that area closes. I have seen fights the likes of no other, the language is amazing. They drink, smoke and inhale drugs while skating, oh and they do wear their �Colors� Yes we have called the police numerous times. My home is now up for sale, has been for the past 3 years, and along with 5 other homes on this street all whose backyard has become the skate park. Our homes have been vandalize a number of times, all of the back bedrooms go unused and we all sleep in the basement now because of flying objects coming through our windows at night. Our car windows have all been broken out a bunch of times. I would not wish this nightmare on anyone.

I am very concern for Kearns. I and my family are good and respected members of society, none of us have been in trouble with the law of any kind. No we don�t live in Ivory towers or glass houses, but skate park language is not used in my home either. I have small children, whose language horrifies me at times, my children are ages 1, 3 and 6 would you people care to imagine the first words of my 3 year old? And the uphill battle we are presently fighting from our 1 year old. Today during lunch my son had a straw up his nose snorting his milk up. Last weekend at 2 am a full can of beer came flying through my sliding glass doors. You think this can�t be linked to skate boarders, think again the little darlings were picked up this time. A 12 year old was fighting a13 year old fellow skateboarders wearing their colors taking control of their hood, both of them drunk. Park Wood people stand up for your rights and fight for your homes, you can not sell them when you backyard becomes a skate park.

I live in Kearns, had done so for the past 7 years. I work in the elementary schools in this area. I do not live in the Park Wood area, but I am opposed to a skate park why isn�t this money being used for the good of all kids in this community? Why is it that everything that is done out here is for the kids that are �AT RISK�
Since I first heard about this skate park from the last story that was printed, you suddenly print that people knew what was going on out here. The fact is this has been the �Collaboration� of just a few people and with no public meetings until May 28th. I have also done some research of my own, only to learn that fliers were sent home with the children from school. Boy I sure would like to know which of these schools were enlighten with these fliers and why others were not.
And to this reporter, please make a post here and explain why your first story was only one sided and the Park Wood people were not talked to before you printed anything?

This is not just the Park wood people that oppose this, it is Kearns as a whole.
Bottom line is this community is sick and tired of the backhanded way things are getting pushed through Kearns. The only interest that this current council has is their own personal agenda�s and what makes them look good. This is just the tip of the iceberg that they have done.
The Fitness center say�s their end of the deal is not set in stone, well since the property belongs to the residents of Kearns who are being left uninformed perhaps then we should think about not renewing our memberships if they chose to buckle under these demands. I know I will and a lot of other people will too.

I have lived in Kearns for over 50 years. A couple of issues I have -

1- I never knew anything about this park

2- This story states - McDowell says it was a mistake not to do more to inform each resident, but Salt Lake County Council west-side community liaison Greg Schulz says the county did its part in informing the public

Care to tell me who is doing �WHAT�

I appreciate all the comments from all they concerned residents for the Park Wood Subdivision and also for all the residents in Kearns.

I, like yourselves, am saddened concerning the communication that the county has given to the residents concerning the skate park. But unfortunately, I have been informed that the skate park will go in regardless of the concerns, because is is funded by the ZAP funds that every resident in the S.L. county pays. I wonder if the skate park went to a vote how many residents in Kearns would support such a plan. I feel that they could do a lot better job if they would upgrade the current park and do some upgrades that are family centered.

I hope that the Mayor and others would be a bit more understanding concerning our fight, because I really do not feel that the skate park is in all of the residents of Kearns best interests.

I live in the Parkwood Subdivision and am involved with the community. It is nice to see this reporter do a flip side article from her first one sided article giving only Mr. McDowell's views. As a community we would like to see improvement and upgrades to the current park. The skate park will be smaller because we do not want the traffic in our neighborhood. Many of those using the park do not live in the subdivision, do they want the traffic in their subdivision? We already have problems with those using the soccer fields because there is no bathroom facility open at the park, peeing at the fence line is common. This is an organized group with parents showing the way, yes grown men peeing at the fence. How do you think that putting in a skatepark with limited or no lighting, intrastructure or supervision is going to improve the situation. If this same money was rolled into KOPFC the money could be used to put in a skatepark with intrastructure and supervision. I believe skaters need somewhere, but I do not believe that the taxpaying homeowners should have to pay the price with their homes and safety.

I'm 19 and I have skated pretty much my whole life, and have lived in kearns my whole life too. A skatepark would benefit the area to keep kids out of trouble. Sure there might be some fights but I mean what park doesn't have them stuff happens. I've used skating as my outlet to keep me out of trouble, so the 1 million dollars or whatever they have to build this thing is a smart investment not just for kids but for the town of kearns to bring in other people. Also on a lighter note the majority of kids skating at this park will be in jr. High so what harm could they do? Its a skatepark kids go there to skate not to fight, do drugs, or whatever. Bottom line this skatepark is a goodidea

you people are just looking at the down side of having a skate park yes all the things you have said happen but also this way the cops will know where alot of people will be and will be able to try and stop this misbehavior would you rather have all these teens running around the city vandalizing or causing a little bit of trouble at the skate park i personaly love going to skate parks but i dont do drugs and drink or smoke all you look at is the down side there are alot of skate parks that do not have all these troubles as long as the cops set an example right away and show the comunity that they are not going to put up with all the negitives i believe that the kearns skatepark will be good for the younger comunity if they are at the skate parks they are not running around skateing at the grocery store or the library they will be at the skatepark in an area meant for skateing!!!

cba age 17