Letter to the editor: Centralia should get creative to repair or replace skate park

Well, here we go again. The City of Centralia is asking for donations for another project that they don’t have the funds for. I’m referring to the Fuller’s Twin City Skate Park at Rotary Riverside Park in Centralia. My understanding is from a recent article in The Chronicle, that the old skate park is in need of repair and the “City of Centralia has a limited budget.”

Now, I remember in 2004, when the kids asked to have a place to skateboard, the city remarked that it was a liability and they did not have the funds. Then, Fuller’s Marketplace stepped in and built the skateboard park, and the kids have used it ever since.

Now that the skate park is in need of extensive repair or replacement, the city is now asking for donations. They even suggested that we hold a fundraiser. That brings to mind when we wanted to repair the Pearl Street Pool. The people of Centralia did just that. We raised over $1 million through donations and events. And what was the end result? The city said it would cost too much to repair the pool. Are you asking the citizens of Centralia to bake pies and hold another round of fundraising to pay for the needed skateboard park repairs?

I would like the City of Centralia to get creative and somehow put the children of Centralia first and figure out a way to finance the replacement of Fuller’s Twin City Skate Park at the Riverside Rotary Park in Centralia. We have plenty of baseball fields that find grants. What about other sports?

Paula Marth

Centralia