By JOYCE L. CARROLL
Essex Junction prides itself as a community that celebrates its youth. An active teen center keeps middle school and high school students engaged during the school year and, now, a new skate park offers a healthy alternative to television.

The park opened in late June to a waiting crowd of skateboard and bike enthusiasts. "The coolest part of this is the variety of ages and the diversity of kids," said Brad Luck, director of Essex Junction Recreation and Parks. "We have 4- and 5-yearolds, and every age through adults."

Born of an idea developed by two fifth grade students in 2005, the skate park underwent a lengthy deliberation process before work actually began last fall. A committee was formed, comprised of youth, parents, recreation department staff, local police and members of the village's civic organization, CHIPS.

"The whole point of the committee was that it was really youth-friendly," Luck said. "We looked at lots of sites and deliberated the pros and cons of this space," he said, referring to the 14,400-square-foot park that is the footprint of Maple Street Park's older tennis courts.

Funding for the $64,000-plus project came from a variety of sources, with the lion's share coming from the Recreation Department and the Town of Essex. The committee also received $10,000 from a state education and recreation grant, and $2,000 from the Ronald McDonald House. The remainder came from local and corporate donors.

Luck said the skate park is the perfect remedy for an age group that has, in the past, started to stray from the family-friendly park. "At a certain point, the park loses its allure for that age group. For us, it's great to have a place where this age group is able to mix in with the rest of the community.... It's also an inviting place and good for the rest of the community to see that these activities are normal."

Since opening, riders of stunt bikes, in-line skates, skateboards and scooters have been enjoying the ramps that include half-pipes, rails and banks of varying heights. Luck said the committee intentionally imposed as few restrictions as possible on the space, while striving to keep it safe. Large signs state the recommended rules for use and are visible at the entrance. The park is not caged, but is fenced in. A newly constructed pavilion with four picnic tables adjacent the park gives non-skaters a place, to congregate and watch the action.

The skate park offers yet one more recreational activity at the 3 acre Maple Street Park. Two swimming pools were installed in 2000. The grounds also feature an expansive playground, athletic fields, basketball courts and tennis courts. Construction began last fall with the site preparation. The remainder of the work took place this past spring and included upgrades like new fencing, specialized surfacing, the construction of the ramps and the addition of ramp armor.

The Recreation Departure relied on the expertise of Custom Skate Park in South Burlington. Other principals included A Marcelino & Company in South Burlington, asphalt; Advantage Tennis Passumpsic, surfacing; A.H. Fence Company in Fairfax, fencing; Pettinelli & Associates in Williston, pavilion and picnic tables; at Griswold & Co. in Williston, concrete slab under the pavilion.