Task force pursues idea of a skate park in Rosemount Posted 8/9/01 by John Sucansky Staff Writer A skate park in Rosemount may not be a daydream for youths for much longer. A task force has recently been started to research a location and types of use for a skate park facility within the Rosemount city limits. According to Dan Schultz, Parks and Recreation director for the city of Rosemount, interest in a park was brought to the parks and recreation planning commission by several local youth and parents. The task force is comprised of two parents, five youths, one park and recreation commissioner and one representative from Rosemount Middle School. Schultz said the task force is starting from scratch and finding answers to every question raised about a future park. Might there be a fee to use it, or is it free? What kind of padding restrictions should there be and will it be a tier-one or tier-two facility? These are just some of the questions Schultz said the task force is working to answer. While skating has its own language for maneuvers and compliments, there is also the legal language for designating the type of park. As mentioned, the options for Rosemountís park are a tier-one or tier-two facility. Tier-one facilities have ramps under three feet in height, while tier-two facilities have ramps that are higher than three feet. There are benefits to both, according to Nick Larson, 13, of Rosemount. Larson, who is a member of the task force, said a tier one is usually free to use and does not have to be monitored by a safety attendant. A tier two usually has regulated hours of use and a monitor, and often charges a fee, according to Larson. He said his interest in a skate park stems from trying to find a place to enjoy this activity in Rosemount, without being a nuisance. ìAfter school, we got sick of getting kicked out of places,î he said. Larson and a group of his friends decided to approach the mayor on the subject of building a city skate park after getting some direction from their parents. He said the mayor directed them to Schultz, who he said has been really interested in the project. ìHe really wants this to happen. Heís been pretty helpful,î said Larson. Larson and his friends have been approaching local businesses for sponsorship of a future park and discussing ideas for what it should be like. Larson said the task force is not meeting frequently at this time, but he said he is hoping to set up more meetings and quicken the process. According to Dean Mulso, recreation facilities manager for the Burnsville skate park, the process can take a while and patience is necessary. He said the Burnsville park process took approximately two to five years to complete.The Burnsville park averages 47 users a day, with the median age of users being 8 to 13, he said. Mulso said there is a $5 fee for two-hour sessions in the facility. The Burnsville tier-two park cost approximately $60,000 to construct and was planned and paid for by the work of a nonprofit organization established in the community by parties interested in having a skating facility. For more information about the Burnsville skate park, or the process behind its construction, contact Mulso at the Burnsville Ice Center at (952) 895-4651, or visit the parkís Web site at www.mnskateboarder.com\bsp. ©Thisweek Newspapers