Lake Grounds Skatepark? I would like to comment on points raised by some of your contributors to 'Mailbox' recently. Megan Arrowsmith, in her very reasonably worded letter, implies that she feels intimidated by large numbers of young adults hanging arou

Lake Grounds Skatepark? I would like to comment on points raised by some of your contributors to 'Mailbox' recently. Megan Arrowsmith, in her very reasonably worded letter, implies that she feels intimidated by large numbers of young adults hanging around in groups, and I can understand that. But, skaters don't fall into that category. They are youngsters who want to enjoy their hobby just as others play football, fish or build and sail model boats. They invest time and their money in their sport and are, in the main, very responsible.I would like to suggest that Megan and others make a point of visiting a well designed skate park. She may well be very surprised. A member of our working party, whose son is a nine-year-old enthusiast, has visited at least 40 skate parks and makes the points that skaters are invariably well behaved, and, interestingly, the older ones are very willing to coach the younger ones. Yes, there may well be some unruly elements 'hanging around', but, in this case, their presence would, I suggest, be coincidental rather than purposeful.Addressing 'name supplied', he/she wonders why residents would want to overlook the skate park; they may well not want to do that, but the national guidelines state that a skate park should be at least 100 metres from the nearest house, but also should be overlooked by local inhabitants (from a distance) for safety purposes. The availability of facilities such as toilets is very desirable and refreshments a bonus. I welcome his/her positive comments concerning the Lake Grounds although I must emphasize that the Lake Grounds is only one of several sites that the working party is considering and will be consulting on.This consultation is now getting under way. First of all 2,000 forms asking potential users whether they support the provision of a skatepark, and what they would like to see, are about to be distributed through the schools. Following that, we intend asking as many households as possible for their views. And we have a stand at the Christmas fayre so come and see us there and tell us what you think about this project.John S ClarkChairman of the Town Council's Skatepark Working Party