The Manhattan Park District offers a lot to residents, but one amenity it lacks is a skate park. One former resident hopes to change that.
Brady Forsythe, a longtime Manhattan resident who recently moved to Mokena with his parents, made an impassioned plea to the Manhattan Park Board at its February 12 meeting, asking the board to consider creating a skate park.
“I fell in love with skateboarding, and it was never something I had done growing up, but it consumed me very quickly,” Forsythe said.
“These parks bring people out of their homes, off their technology, and into the community. People of all ages show up for the same reason,” Forsythe said of skate parks.
“Having a thriving skateboarding, scootering, rollerblading, biking community, I think, does wonders for the town and returns the investment that is placed into a skatepark,” Forsythe said, underscoring that, while it is a known financial loss, the non-monetary benefits outweigh the cost.
Forsythe explained his commitment to community service and, in college, he discovered a drive to organize and help others through food drives and charity work.
After distributing materials to the board that showed examples of nearby skate parks, he offered his assistance and noted the skating community enjoys coming together and could volunteer to help create a park.
“I want more than anything just to give back to Manhattan,” Forsythe continued.
Park Board President Bridget Hope said they would add it to the list of projects for consideration.
Outside of Forsythe’s plea, the Manhattan Park Board meeting was brief, with mostly housekeeping items on the agenda.
The board approved bills for payment, meeting minutes, and the abatement of taxes associated with bonds.
The board also approved a resolution authorizing Tressler, LLP, the district’s law firm, to intervene as necessary in any tax appeal cases.
Executive Director Jay Kelly reported there was vandalism at the Central Park restrooms again and, at Wauponsee Park, a picnic table was damaged.
Kelly reported the ice rink was popular, but it is closed as warmer temps thawed the ice.
Despite having an ice rink, Kelly said they still have to chase kids off the pond, and three kids had to be told to get off the ice earlier that day, when temperatures were in the 40s, along with abundant sunshine.
“It’s scary. There is a sign out there, and it says stay off the pond, but it’s an ongoing battle and, obviously, the worst case scenario is that somebody falls through the ice at some point,” Kelly said.
He added they try to stay on top of it as much as they can.
Spring and summer programming is underway, and they’ll be posting events. They are planning for two Easter Egg hunts: one flashlight hunt for kids and an Easter Egg hunt for dogs at the dog park.
Kelly also reported they received 60 resumes for the Round Barn Farm event manager position, which they have narrowed down to five candidates and will be making a decision soon. Despite the positive response for that position, they have not had a large response for the full-time parks maintenance position. They plan to advertise that position online and on social media.
Fermitas’ restoration of Round Barn Farm is now complete, though the park district still is building out the event space. The split rail fence surrounding the property is complete, and displays have been fixed on the old silo bases.
Before concrete can be poured in the Round Barn, plumbing, electrical, and in-floor heating need to be installed.
During the meeting, Hope read a card sent to the park district by the Coughlin family, thanking the district for making the dog park a reality and complimenting the lights at Round Barn Farm.
“We can’t fully express our gratitude for these spaces. Please share our thanks to everyone who made these things possible, as well as those who maintain those areas,” Hope read.
Hope said it was nice that a resident took the time to send a card, and acknowledged it also says a lot about how well the parks are maintained, to which the board and staff agreed.