Austin’s Skate Club is getting ready to settle in and do some work on the small skate park that was set up in the skating rink by the Mill Pond.

Wednesday, March 31, 1999

Austin’s Skate Club is getting ready to settle in and do some work on the small skate park that was set up in the skating rink by the Mill Pond. There is a lot of painting and maintenance work to be done there - and there is a lot of work to be done before the skaters of Austin have what they want.

"This is a playground," said Renee Anderson, president of the Skate Club. "It’s a playground for teenagers."

She doesn’t just mean the little park of ramps and rails the skaters use there. She means any skate park.

"What we want is to keep this one for the beginner skaters, as a tier one sort of operation," she said. "We want a tier two for the more advanced skaters, who get a little bored here."

Tier two for Anderson means a fenced in or indoor facility, with larger ramps and supervision.

"We’re trying to following Mankato’s footsteps," she explained. "They eventually got the YMCA to take over their skate park."

According to Anderson, the biggest obstacle between Austin’s young people and better skating facilities is insurance. Right now, the city hasn’t had to get more insurance to cover the use of the current park. Higher ramps may mean higher premiums as well.

There is no denying the popularity of the skate park.

"During the summer we see between 25 and 75 kids at the tier one park a day – it may be the most used park in the city," Anderson said.

Anderson has met with Austin’s Park and Recreation Department to see where she can go with tier two, as well as consulting with the county.

"A place that makes sense to me would be the (Mower County) Fairgrounds," Anderson said. "It wouldn’t have to be fully dedicated to us, either. We could use it for a few months of the year."

Other options being considered are getting an indoor facility in Albert Lea and an outdoor one here, and bringing some small outdoor competitions to town.

"That would be fun, and it would bring people to town," Anderson said, noting that those are people who will shop and stay in the city’s hotels.

Anderson has continued to take her case to many of the service organizations in town, receiving some money for the club and park needs.

"We want people to see that while we’re happy about what we have, the needs haven’t been completely met," she said.

An afternoon visit to the skate park shows that even in early spring, there are skaters there, including skate club vice president Justin Charron, who skates competitively during the summer and has been in national competitions.

He isn’t the only one by a long shot, however.

There are also younger teens and children, some a little wobbly on their skates and skateboards. They’re glad to have this park, but they want something better, it’s clear.

"If this was indoors it would be a lot safer," said Matt Rector, skateboard in hand. "The weather has damaged the equipment – and so have people who have come by who don’t like skaters."

Rector and Billy Bernardo agreed that some people have come by and damaged some of the equipment, including smashing one of the ramps.

Dan Szczakowski and Stephanie Ramirez are two younger skaters who come to the park a lot and said they enjoyed the equipment, but exposure to the elements was making it less fun.

Also, people have been known to leave garbage, bottles and even fouler items behind some of the ramps.

They all agreed an indoor facility would be a big improvement.

The Skate Club will meet at 7 p.m. April 12 at Godfathers Pizza to plan cleaning and repair for the current facility, as well as to talk strategies getting a better one.