Ban or New Park for Skateboards?

Skateboarding is highlighting the differences between young and old in Stanton.

On Tuesday night, a few residents of Stanton Park, a 130-unit townhouse development off Cerritos Avenue, took their complaints to the City Council, saying that kids, and their skateboards, make too much noise. The residents requested that the council ban skateboarding on their streets.

The council responded to the complaints by directing the city’s staff to look into the feasibility of building a skateboard park, where kids can go to an enclosed area, practice their skills and not bother their neighbors. The move mimics that already made by several cities in Orange County--including Westminster, Garden Grove and Huntington Beach--that are building or already have skateboard parks.

Mayor Harry Dotson said kids throughout Stanton would appreciate a skateboard park, but he worries that the city won’t find an appropriate place for one.

The only other option, said Councilman David John Shawver, is to outlaw skateboarding in designated areas of Stanton. But City Manager Terry Matz pointed out that Stanton does not pay its police for code enforcement, making upholding such laws difficult. And even without a ban, police can respond to skateboarders caught blocking traffic or vandalizing property.

The Stanton Park neighborhood cannot ban skateboarding on its streets unless it privatizes them.

The dispute between skateboarders and Stanton Park residents stems from seemingly different needs. The older residents want peace and quiet. The skateboarders want a place to practice their sport.

“They’re out there for about three hours every day. The noise really gets on your nerves,” commented Stan Feit, 61, a resident of Stanton Park.

He and other residents also say that the skating poses an inconvenience to drivers and a danger to skateboarders.

The kids, who range from 12 to 16, say they always move when they see cars, picking up their ramp and skateboards and scurrying out of the way. They say they’re just being kids, playing with their friends, staying out of trouble and trying to excel at a fun and exciting hobby.

“I don’t know what we’d do if we couldn’t skate, maybe just watch TV and get fat, “ said 16-year-old Ollie Bhatti, who doesn’t live in Stanton Park but goes there nearly every day to skateboard.

Residents and skateboarders agree that a skateboard park would alleviate some of their differences.

Judy Silber can be reached at (714) 966-5988.