White Bluff council accepts donation of Burns skate park equipment, looking for donations

Officials in White Bluff don’t appear to share the same concerns about a skate park as their counterparts in Burns as the town council voted Tuesday night to accept a donation of skate park equipment. The White Bluff council voted unanimously to accept the offer after the Burns Board of Commissioners decided for the second time Monday night to close the five-year-old park. White Bluff officials appeared genuinely enthusiastic about the prospect of being able to open a skate park, a sharp contrast to the concerns over liability, trash and other activities that prompted the new Burns administration to get rid of the park. “I think it’s a good idea,” White Bluff Police Chief Mike Holman told the council Tuesday. Holman said local youth are currently skateboarding in parking lots, on sidewalks and other places, prompting several complaints. But he said the youth respond they don’t have anywhere to go for the activity. “They feel like we don’t care,” Holman said. The council began discussions on potential locations and funding for pouring a concrete pad and relocating the park equipment. “I think we look for contributions,” said Projects Coordinator Jeff Martin, who said the pad in Burns cost $7,150 in 2007. Mayor Linda Hayes said the town does have some extra money in its budget that it can use if it cannot find donations to fund the project. “This is an investment,” Hayes said of the opportunity to expand the town’s recreational facilities. “It makes a good statement for White Bluff,” Councilman Dan Clark said before the council’s vote to accept the Burns donation. The council agreed to reach out for possible donations of cash, materials and labor to set up the park over the next month and further discuss funding options at its Feb. 5 meeting. The town’s Park Board will pick up discussions on possible locations as council members said they would like to see the skate park opened this spring. Attorney Stan Reynolds said he will draw up an agreement for the transfer of the park equipment from Burns to White Bluff.