Ongoing vandalism is likely to spell the end of White Salmon's experiment with having a half-pipe structure available for skateboarders to use.
According to city officials, the half-pipe -- moved to Rheingarten Park in September 2001 -- is spawning problems with vandalism, graffiti, and litter.
The building housing the park's rest rooms, which is directly next to the skateboarding half-pipe, has been seriously damaged by vandals. Several holes have been punched into the concrete block walls, for example, and wooden shingles have been removed.
The large half-pipe originally was built for competition at the 2001 Spring Fest. At that time, it was placed on the basketball court on the grounds of Whitson Elementary School. But vandalism -- including broken bottles -- resulted in the school requesting that the structure be moved elsewhere.
It subsequently was transferred to the city park.
White Salmon Mayor Roger Holen explained the structure was moved to the city park because that part of the park didn't have a dual use like the basketball and tennis courts did.
"At any rate, the park was a better place for it -- until you spend money trying to remove graffiti and replace shingles," he said. "It's unfortunate to see something that should be fun for the kids turn into a liability for the city."
Margie Ziegler, deputy clerk treasurer for the city, said the City Council will have the final say as to whether to remove the structure. The council is expected to address the issue at its Sept. 16 meeting.
"The city wants input," Ziegler said. "Where should it go?"
Council member Penny Morris, who has served on the Spring Festival Committee in recent years, said the half-pipe was built by local resident Brian Dennis to be used for competitive skateboarding events during the Spring Festival. It was later donated to the city by the Spring Festival Committee.
All the wood used on the structure was donated by SDS Lumber Co.
"We had hoped to bring a new activity for the kids," Morris said. "But obviously when they move picnic tables over there and climb from the picnic table to the roof and are throwing shingles off the roof and all around, I thought, why? Some of the kids are out of control."
Holen said the deal that brought the half-pipe to Rheingarten Park was an informal one.
"The Spring Fest Committee, as far as I'm concerned, owns it," he explained. "The city allowed it to be moved from the old tennis courts to park property."
"There is no true ownership," Morris said. "The group we were working with in 2001 were kids involved in skateboarding at the time, and they were part of the competitions. They've grown up and moved on."
Morris lamented the apparent failure of the kids to police themselves.
"We were very happy to have it there, but if it's not working out, it's not working out," she said. "The city can't afford to be maintaining that kind of thing. It's too bad. It's a wonderful structure and it could get a lot of good use. But some people go too far and it spoils the fun for everyone."
Morris said no one yet had any specific ideas about what to do with the half-pipe. One potential site under consideration is the Community Youth Center building in White Salmon. Bingen's Daubenspeck Park might also be a possibility.
However, that might bring the same type of problems to those locations.
"I don't know if there's a spot for it. No one wants to assume liability," Morris said.
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