Skate park proposed in Lakeside

A West Shore resident and former professional snowboarder laid out an ambitious plan for a new skatepark in Lakeside earlier this month, but the Lakeside Area Park Committee was lukewarm on the proposal.

Former Blacktail Mountain Marketing Manager Greg Manning, who now owns a sports consulting business, said he would provide the money to build the skate park, as well as the insurance and furnish a paid attendant to monitor the park. Manning said he would seek funding from big name professionals with whom he has built a relationship over the years. He said he felt confident that he could raise the money necessary to completely fund such a park.

However, Manning's proposal did not meet with the degree of support he had hoped for, as park committee members expressed mixed feelings and cited strong concerns about the ability of Ben Williams Park to accommodate such a feature, as well as its impact to the surrounding residential neighborhoods.

"I would much rather that the skateboarders be there [at a skate park] than have to battle them on the sidewalks or at the grocery stores," Lakeside Chapel Pastor Dennis Reece said. "I also know that good quality skateboard parks become destination spots. If it builds a good reputation, it gets a good following to it. I'm concerned, however, about how you would enforce your rules. There is a tendency for groups to get in and kind of take charge."

Manning, however, believed having a paid attendant present during operating hours would alleviate such a problem. He added that the park would be fenced and that no one would be able to gain access unless the attendant allowed them to enter. He proposed that users would purchase a yearly pass for a cost of about $20, with a season that would typically run from April through November.

Manning himself grew up as a skate boarder, and that interest eventually evolved into snowboarding in the winter at a time when snowboarding was just becoming a sport. A couple of years later, he began to compete in amateur snowboard competitions, won the New England Cup half pike title and, at the age of 18, turned professional.

Since moving to Lakeside in 2006, he has sought opportunities to expand the community's offerings for young people. He admitted that he had considered a skateboard park for some time and said he is now ready to act on it.

"Kids need to have a place to hang out," Manning said. "When kids get bored, they end up getting into trouble. I want to give them something to do. Every time I come through town, I see kids on their skateboards and bicycles. They really don't have anywhere to go. I think Ben Williams is a great location [for a skateboard park], because it is set apart."

Manning said he has a friend with a lot of experience in the skateboard industry. That friend, he said, built the skate park in Whitefish and hired the best to design it. As a result, the park has become a popular destination spot.

Similarly, Manning said he would bring in a professional skateboard park designer, who would design the Lakeside park around the needs of the community, in a way that would work best in Ben Williams Park-and for neighboring homeowners-if the powers that be agree to allow it there.

"My plan to bring this park into the town would be very vocal and open to all the town people and to the kids, as well. I want them to know that, if things go south, the skateboard park goes away. It will not be a place to do drugs or mess around and be destructive."

In answer to questions about noise control, Manning said skateboard parks do not typically produce much noise, beyond the sound of metal clicking against concrete. In fact, he said skateboarders would not be allowed to bring their own music to the park, nor would drugs or alcohol ever be allowed.

Since he envisions placing the skateboard park in the northwest corner of the park, which is currently treed, he believed the trees could also be utilized to dampen any sound that is produced. He believed that only one or two trees would need to be taken out, while limbing many of the remaining trees would allow more light to come in.

Manning believed that putting the skateboard park in that corner and designing it around the trees would eliminate much of the criminal activity that has taken place in that very spot. He also believed that, at 5-7,000 feet, the park could be made to fit nicely into that area.

Still, most of the committee members remained unconvinced for a variety of reasons, including that Ben Williams Park is not big enough to accommodate such a use, side by side with the other features. Some members added that the skateboard park would not fit with the exiting, quiet character of Ben Williams Park.

Members encouraged Manning to take his proposal before Flathead County Parks and Recreation director Jed Fisher, since the idea would have to be sold to him before it could even be considered by the Lakeside committee.

Manning will now seek an audience with Fisher and intends to present the merits of such a skateboard park, which he says would feature a section for beginners and various levels where skateboarders could work their way up to a more professional level. He also envisions skateboard contests and various fundraising events.