Berlin officials are taking the reasonable approach in seeking an answer to the recent demands for some kind of skateboard facility by suggesting that a temporary facility would be easier and quicker to do as they consider the feasibility of something much greater.
That would include looking at the vacant Tyson property, which might be transformed into a multi-purpose park, depending on how expensive such an undertaking would be.
The property certainly needs to be something besides the empty giant that it is, but converting it to anything suitable for general public use, much less a specialized use, would be more than just a notion.
That became evident this week when the Maryland Department of Environment declared that a more substantial cleanup of the site might be required if the property were to be used for other than industrial or commercial purposes. And the cost of that would be on top of whatever the sale price might be.
In addition, given that skateboarding is not allowed to take place just anywhere in town, most people would agree that some kind of facility would be welcome. What most people don’t know, however, are how many skateboarders there are in Berlin.
After all, the job of town officials is to take care of its residents first and then weigh the advantages of providing for nonresidents.
To that end, the mayor and council know that the first order of business is to respond to its own skateboarding community. The quickest and most efficient way to do that is by pursuing a temporary solution that might then be developed on a grander scale or even relocated should the demand warrant it.