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News
December 12, 2011, 12:00 pm

Open Road Park Stripped of Skate Ramps

By CHELSIA ROSE MARCIUS
Dismantled Skate Ramps Outside Open Road ParkChelsia Rose Marcius Alex Diaz, 13, of the Lower East Side, skates
on the dismantled ramps.

Open Road Park was recently closed until further notice, but its wooden skate ramps lingered. On Saturday, they were finally removed from the lot on 12th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A and put out on the curb for trash pickup. That didn’t stop local skateboarders from using them one last time, as Jose Morales and a few friends reassembled a pile of dismantled planks into a makeshift skate park along 12th Street.

Mr. Morales, 13, of the Lower East Side, said school officials were already breaking down the ramps by noon on Saturday when he arrived at Open Road. He said he asked one official what he was doing, but was quickly dismissed.

“He said, ‘Don’t touch these ramps, they’re garbage,’” recounted Mr. Morales. But he and his friends set two ramps back up against the wall of East Side Community High School and continued to skate. Read more…

News
December 5, 2011, 1:30 pm

School Shuts Down 12th Street Skate Park, Citing Drug Use

By CHELSIA ROSE MARCIUS
12+A SkateparkChelsia Rose Marcius Skaters hop the fence at the now-closed Open Road park.

Open Road Park — the lot on 12th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A that attracts skaters from across the city — is closed to the community until further notice.

Mark Federman, principal of East Side Community High School, which sits adjacent to the park, cited overall disregard for the space as well as drug use on the premises, including the smoking and selling of marijuana.

“At this point it’s not really a safe space to keep open,” he said. “We decided that we’re just going to keep it closed until we figure out a way to resolve these issues.” Read more…