By JIMMY LAWTON

OGDENSBURG -- Ogdensburg’s skate park could be on the chopping block after summer ends.

City Councilors on Monday discussed continued vandalism in the greenbelt and the cost of paying a monitor at the park to alleviate behavioral issues there.

The park was established around 2005 after city youths banded together to create a safe place to skate, but over the past few years the park has drawn criticism.

“Before we put a monitor in, it was complete chaos down there. There were fights, swearing and improper behavior,” Recreation Director Matthew Curatolo said.

Reoccurring issues at the park led the city to hire a monitor for the months of June, July and August from 2 to 8 p.m.

“The monitor has worked and has cut down on improper behavior at the skateboard park. However, the cost is significant. It will cost $4,536,” a report to the city council  says.

At a recent meeting of the Recreation Commission, chairman Tom Pinkerton said he is an advocate for closing the park and replacing it with tennis or basketball courts.

Other discussions at that meeting suggested relocating the park to a lot near the Lockwood Arena to get it out of the city’s greenbelt, which is considered a tourist attraction.

However, the commission made no formal recommendation to the city council.

“The commission decided to wait until the end of summer. There are basically three options. We can leave it as is, we can move it behind the Lockwood Arena or we can close it down,” he said.

Curatolo said the city wants to provide recreational opportunities for youth, but the problems there have led people to steer clear of the greenbelt.

“We want to keep it open. But we need behavior and attitudes to change in order for that to happen,” he said. “With the city budget where it is at, how do we justify paying for monitor?”

On Monday Deputy Mayor Michael Morley said the city should not be paying $4,000 for a babysitter at the skate park.

Councilor Tim Davis agreed saying the skate park is not something the city needs.

Councilor Jennifer Stevenson suggested it may be time to revisit the idea of putting camera’s up in the greenbelt area.

Despite Monday’s discussion, no action was taken. The council agreed to wait for a formal recommendation from the recreation commission.

Curatolo said the current plan is to continue operating the park until the end of the season. At that time the recreation commission will make a recommendation on how to proceed.

Rules for the city’s skateboard park can be found at:

http://ny-ogdensburg.civicplus.com/DocumentCenter/Home/View/461