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Carbondale Skate Park Closed Indefinitely

CARBONDALE, Pa. — One of the only skate parks in northeastern Pennsylvania suddenly closed, leaving skateboarders with nowhere to go. When a closed sign w...

CARBONDALE, Pa. -- One of the only skate parks in northeastern Pennsylvania suddenly closed, leaving skateboarders with nowhere to go.

When a closed sign went up on the gate to the Carbondale skate park on Belmont Street, many people wondered why. After several incidents including vandalism and public disturbances, city officials decided to lock it up indefinitely.

"We're really trying to make a statement and say that we want people to take care of this park. The city is not able to just continue to repair or replace equipment or items at any park, so when things like this happen, we don't have a tree in the back that we can pull money from to redo things," Carbondale Mayor Justin Taylor said.

The city has received many calls and messages from people who say they are willing to volunteer to alleviate some of the problems with the park.

City Hall believes the issue isn't necessarily with the skaters that use the park, but others who are here just hanging out.

"People need to respect property and others, both children and adults and authorities, so we're going to try this route and hope that it works," said Taylor.

"I think it was good to close it down for a little while so that the kids can see what it's like. The old saying goes that they never know what you got until you lose it," said Frank Garcia of Carbondale.

The mayor plans on organizing a meeting for those interested in helping to reopen the park. Anyone who wants to volunteer can contact the mayor's office in Carbondale.

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