City OKs Fireman Park for new skateboard half-pipe

With respect to the curmudgeons, Libby City Council approved the placement of a structure for local skate boarders at the Jan. 6 meeting.

Fireman Memorial Park will be the site of a new 23-foot by 18-foot mini half-pipe. It will be located in the southwest corner of the park adjacent to the Libby Cemetery. A fence separates the park from the cemetery. Construction is expected to begin in the spring.

At the Dec. 16 meeting, councilors unanimously approved the measure, but a site for the mini half pipe was needed after some of the proposals were shot down due to various concerns.

According to councilor Melissa Berke, insurance for the structure, which will need a concrete foundation, would add $167 a year to the city’s insurance costs. The LOR Foundation said it would be able to secure a grant to cover the cost of about $25,000 to $30,000.

Supporters of the skate park structure cheered the decision.

Ben Montgomery was one of them.

“We’re not talking about building a new skate park,” he said. “Even though the term has been used interchangeably, we’re talking about adding one feature. All we’re asking for is 486 square feet.

“The splash pad in the park is 2,000 square feet and just because we have one, it doesn’t mean we’re getting a pool.”

Tony Petrusha, the local park district manager, somewhat apologized for some city residents who spoke against the structure.

“There’s a bunch of old curmudgeons here, but this is a good thing,” he said. “Let’s get it approved and move on.”

D.C. Orr agreed.

“The council always seems to put a road block on this. I encourage them to OK it,” he said.

City resident Jennifer Nelson, a member of the city zoning and planning boards, said she supported the idea at the Dec. 16 meeting. But she also didn’t think the site behind the baseball field was appropriate.

She also questioned the appropriateness of locating the structure next to the city cemetery and possible parking issues.

“We have not seen a plan for costs, upkeep and those are things the city should know,” Nelson said.

Jarad Phoenix, who spoke at both meetings, shared his thoughts and feelings about the project in a social media post.

“Twenty years ago an entire subculture of Libby’s youth, myself included, was displaced when the old skatepark was removed with the promise of a new park. For the past several months Big Feelings NPO has worked with local skateboarder Ben Montgomery to form a plan to finally rectify this situation,” Phoenix wrote. “Thank you so much to everyone who showed up to meetings or even shared their support for this project on social media! You all helped make this dream a reality!

The first Libby Skate Park opened in 1993 at the corner of Larch Street and Utah Avenue.

According to previous reporting in The Western News it closed in the spring of 1996 due to a lack of interest and an impending insurance bill. Sometime after that, the park was demolished.

Libby resident Justice Fahland said at a prior meeting that he learned to skate here.

“It’s an activity that will keep kids off their phones and keep them active,” Fahland said.