By Paul O’Donovan
Just weeks after the new Skate Park in Mullingar Town Park has been opened there are reports of anti-social behaviour in the area.
The new Skate Park, which was recently opened, and is due to be officially opened by Minister Michael Ring this Thursday, March 5 at 3pm, is situated next to the Mullingar Swimming Pool and adjacent to the Mullingar Tennis Club.
The Skate Park was put in place by Westmeath County Council with the intention of catering for the youth of Mullingar who would use the facilities to enjoy and practice their skills on their skateboards, roller skates or bicycles, nothing else. Unfortunately some of the youth of Mullingar have found reason to loiter in the area at night resulting in anti social, unruly and dangerous behaviour.
MAJOR CONCERN
A very concerned adult told Topic this week, “It is only a matter of time before a child is seriously injured. Almost every evening when it gets dark, a number of youths gather at the skateboard park. They are loitering about, drinking, and being abusive. It is impossible for the coaches to coach the young kids tennis in the Tennis Club. The children had to be moved from one court to another, as they were almost dizzy from the fumes that were being sniffed at the skateboard park by these unruly youths.
Either that, or one of the young tennis players, could have been struck by a bottle or some object that the youths were firing from the skateboard park into the Tennis Club.
We called the Gardai and they did come down and they moved them but they said they couldn’t find the culprits throwing the bottles as there were so many of them. I believe the County Council have created a monster with this new skateboard park at night time,” said the concerned adult.
The Skate Park has proved very popular with children and adults during the day and many children can be seen seeing using the facilities, especially at the weekends, mainly to ride their bicycles, and practice their skills on the circuit and over the ramps within the Skate Park.
It is believed the wooden fence on the side of the park next to the Tennis Club has already had to be reinforced as youths were sitting on top of the fence and graffiti has been scribbled on the fence, but a way must be found to stop this unruly behaviour at night before someone gets injured.
