Skate park reopened temporarily, replacement planned

The Libby Skate Park was reopened on Saturday to provide local enthusiasts a skateboarding venue until a new park can be erected.

David Harris, who lives in the vicinity of the park, volunteered to maintain the facility in the interim.

³This is something that my kids like to do,² Harris said. ³It¹s important that the kids have something other than the gut.²

The park was closed a few weeks ago after residents issued a series of complaints about noise and that the area was increasingly unkempt. Barring any incidents, the park will remain open in the interim.

³If the kids treat it right, it will be open until the new one is built,² Harris said. ³If the privilege is abused, it will be gone.²

In addition to watching over the park and keeping the area clean, Harris is in charge of locking up the skate park, which is currently open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Students in the Lincoln County Campus building trades program have been building a house next to the skate park. Instructor Jerry Marquez has volunteered to have his students help build the new park once it is approved by the skate park board.

When Harris learned that the park had been closed, he spoke with Marquez, the skate park board, and the Libby Police Department about reopening the park until a new facility could be built.

³They were all very cooperative,² Harris said.

The area proposed for the new skate park is between the Legion baseball field and Highway 37. Mayor Tony Berget said the site was chosen because of the heightened visibility and the absence of residential homes.

³We¹re trying to find a place that¹s a little more out in the open,² Berget said. ³That spot seemed like it fit the bill.²

When the park was originally built in Libby, it was the first of its kind in Montana.