BERLIN– Monday’s mayor and council meeting nearly breezed by in record time, with several town council members and employees eagerly anticipating the 8:30 p.m. start of Monday Night Football, featuring the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins.
Thom Gulyas and Dean Burrell were sworn in, several special event requests passed, and town staff provided updates on the Tripoli Street sidewalk, scheduled for construction on Nov. 10. It looked as if everyone would be home before 8 with plenty of time to watch the kickoff of one of the NFL’s longest-running rivalries.
Then, during public comments the room swelled, several people who had been standing in the hallway filed neatly into the back to form a standing-room-only section and Berlin resident Beth Gourley quietly asked to speak to the council.
Gourley said the crowd behind her had come to ask for a new skate park.
“We are actively looking for a place that would accommodate skateboarding, ideally on a year-round basis,” Mayor Gee Williams said.
“Something for inclement weather?” Gourley said.
“That’s our ideal,” Williams said. “This is something that we’re actively pursuing. It’s not as easy as it sounds because you just can’t put it anywhere. Our key thing is accessibility and the security of our children. I’m not going to promise you that it will happen overnight, but I can promise you it is on our list of priorities.”
Williams said the town was looking for an “appropriate location,” and advised Gourley to get to know Mary Bohlen, Berlin’s deputy town administrator as well as the liaison to the Berlin Parks Commission.
“Knowing the right thing to do is probably the easiest part of this job – knowing how to do it is a good step harder,” Williams said. “We’re with you. I wish I could just wave a magic wand and have it open by Christmas, but I can tell you it is high on the list.”
Williams said the town was planning a series of strategic planning meetings, going to individual neighborhoods and asking for public input.
“This town is moving forward, the energy is high, civic engagement is at an all-time high and I want to capture that energy,” he said. “I was for us to produce as much improved quality of life for everyone here. Come to the strategic planning meetings and give us your best advice.”
Asked about the potential of the old Tyson’s Plant, currently listed at $2.7 million and owned by Councilmember Troy Purnell, Williams declined to give specifics.
“Once somebody finds out the government is interested in a piece of property the price goes through the roof and we can’t buy it at all,” he said. “That price, fortunately, has been coming down and we’ll see if it comes down any further compared to where it was a few years ago.”
Matt Dove, owner of Punk Rock Fish Studio and a former professional skateboarder, stood up in the back of the room and gave a pitch that the town to apply for a grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation.
“They will match if not double whatever the town puts in to have a skate park,” he said. “But that process has to start with interest from the town people. They have to be taken seriously. Honestly, we are perfect candidates,” Dove continued, drawing applause from the audience.
“All these things we have accomplished we have not accomplished as a government by itself,” Williams said. “All these things that we’ve been able to do in recent years have been in partnership. I’m encouraging you to talk to the deputy administrator, the town administrator … and start talking about the nuts and bolts. Our job is not to do the day-to-day paperwork, it’s to make the political connections and put together the support of partners regardless if they’re nonprofit, for profit or government partners at the county, state and federal level. That’s our job (and) we’re not shy about going after grants.”
Dove said the town would have to get behind the project and coordinate with the foundation.
“If I get that started, then you guys would definitely follow up and follow through as far as coordinating with the Tony Hawk Foundation?” Dove asked.
“I haven’t seen any money yet for a good purpose that we’ll turn down,” Williams said.
Dove used the new Skatepark of Baltimore at the Roosevelt Recreation Center in Hampden as an example of a game-changing facility.
“It was falling apart and horrible and nobody even wanted to live around there,” he said. “It took them 10 years of fundraising, but with one person they were able to get an amazing skate park that is changing that area 100 percent. There are people coming from everywhere – Philadelphia, down south – when they come through town they go to Hampden. I grew up in Baltimore and I wouldn’t even walk through that park previous to the skate park being there. It adds so much.”
Dove, who recently hosted the Old Pro Festival at the Tyson plant, drawing hundreds of skateboard enthusiasts, said the skate facility in Ocean City is falling apart, and Berlin could seize the opportunity to corner the market of area skaters.
“There is so much room to draw that tourism into Berlin,” he said. “(People) will go to Ocean City to go to bars, they will go to Ocean City to eat, go out in a boat, but if there is a great skate park and community center here you would draw a lot of people to this town.
“They already know Berlin from what we’ve done at the Tyson plant in the past couple years,” Dove continued. ”The top professionals already know Berlin – the town of Berlin – where it is, what it is and everything about it because (the festival) has been here for two years in a row. They like coming out here. They love this town. They ask about it all the time: are you going to do it again next year? Is there ever going to be skateboarding with what you do? Wouldn’t it be great if the town could coordinate with what we do and have an actual skate park there so it’s legitimate?”
Dove said he has been a professional skateboarder for more than 25 years, and has seen small towns like Donald, Ore. transformed by skate parks.
“Please stay involved in these planning sessions,” Williams said. “The squeaky wheel is going to get the grease. If people stay at home their opinions cannot be considered.”
“I’ve lived all over the world,” Dove said. “I chose Berlin because I really love this town. It’s completely different than a lot of places I’ve lived before, and I only want to see it improve. I’m not complaining.”
Patricia Dufendach, a member of the Parks Commission, asked the public to embrace Berlin parks and participate in parks activities.
“We’re having a walk on Nov. 8,” she said. “Come out and walk the park with us, get to know your neighbors. Come and see the mural. Come to the ribbon cutting. See the artist who put that mural up there. There is so much that our town wants from our parks.”
Dufendach also urged the community to attend the next commission meeting.
“You’re asking for recreation in your parks,” she said. “That means we need a department. We’re going to need a lot of money … for people to administrate it. You’re the ones who are going to help pay for it. It’s taxes, it’s people, it’s desire and volunteers are always, always, always appreciated.”
Sixteen-year-old Chad Joines made a final plea to the council.
“All of us that are here – I’m sure people are tired of seeing us in the street,” he said, earning a laugh from the crowd. “The officers – look, he’s laughing over there because he knows how many times people have called about us disrupting the public and being loud and getting in people’s way and getting in the way of cars. They’re tired of seeing us and we need somewhere else to go.”
Joines said he has spent thousands of dollars on his biking equipment, but is limited in the places he can ride in Berlin without being disruptive.
“It’s the coolest small town in America,” he said. “We have to top that now. What else can we add to this cool small town? We have an abandoned factory that isn’t doing any good. I’ve been inside of there. The place looks fine. All you have to do is clean it up and add a few things.”
“Oops,” deadpanned Police Chief Arnold Downing.
“What’s wrong with a 16-year-old going someplace he’s not supposed to go? Is that something new?” Joines said. “We’re not allowed to do the thing we love to do on a daily basis. It’s not just a hobby – it’s a way of life.”
“It’s the folks that are not involved that need to be informed,” Williams said. “Nothing is more persuasive that one-on-one conversation, especially in a small town. A few people can make a heck of an impact. We’ve seen that happen.”
The Parks Commission meets in Town Hall on 10 Williams Street in Berlin on Tuesday, Nov 4. at 5:30 p.m.
Thom Gulyas and Dean Burrell were sworn in, several special event requests passed, and town staff provided updates on the Tripoli Street sidewalk, scheduled for construction on Nov. 10. It looked as if everyone would be home before 8 with plenty of time to watch the kickoff of one of the NFL’s longest-running rivalries.
Then, during public comments the room swelled, several people who had been standing in the hallway filed neatly into the back to form a standing-room-only section and Berlin resident Beth Gourley quietly asked to speak to the council.
Gourley said the crowd behind her had come to ask for a new skate park.
“We are actively looking for a place that would accommodate skateboarding, ideally on a year-round basis,” Mayor Gee Williams said.
“Something for inclement weather?” Gourley said.
“That’s our ideal,” Williams said. “This is something that we’re actively pursuing. It’s not as easy as it sounds because you just can’t put it anywhere. Our key thing is accessibility and the security of our children. I’m not going to promise you that it will happen overnight, but I can promise you it is on our list of priorities.”
Williams said the town was looking for an “appropriate location,” and advised Gourley to get to know Mary Bohlen, Berlin’s deputy town administrator as well as the liaison to the Berlin Parks Commission.
“Knowing the right thing to do is probably the easiest part of this job – knowing how to do it is a good step harder,” Williams said. “We’re with you. I wish I could just wave a magic wand and have it open by Christmas, but I can tell you it is high on the list.”
Williams said the town was planning a series of strategic planning meetings, going to individual neighborhoods and asking for public input.
“This town is moving forward, the energy is high, civic engagement is at an all-time high and I want to capture that energy,” he said. “I was for us to produce as much improved quality of life for everyone here. Come to the strategic planning meetings and give us your best advice.”
Asked about the potential of the old Tyson’s Plant, currently listed at $2.7 million and owned by Councilmember Troy Purnell, Williams declined to give specifics.
“Once somebody finds out the government is interested in a piece of property the price goes through the roof and we can’t buy it at all,” he said. “That price, fortunately, has been coming down and we’ll see if it comes down any further compared to where it was a few years ago.”
Matt Dove, owner of Punk Rock Fish Studio and a former professional skateboarder, stood up in the back of the room and gave a pitch that the town to apply for a grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation.
“They will match if not double whatever the town puts in to have a skate park,” he said. “But that process has to start with interest from the town people. They have to be taken seriously. Honestly, we are perfect candidates,” Dove continued, drawing applause from the audience.
“All these things we have accomplished we have not accomplished as a government by itself,” Williams said. “All these things that we’ve been able to do in recent years have been in partnership. I’m encouraging you to talk to the deputy administrator, the town administrator … and start talking about the nuts and bolts. Our job is not to do the day-to-day paperwork, it’s to make the political connections and put together the support of partners regardless if they’re nonprofit, for profit or government partners at the county, state and federal level. That’s our job (and) we’re not shy about going after grants.”
Dove said the town would have to get behind the project and coordinate with the foundation.
“If I get that started, then you guys would definitely follow up and follow through as far as coordinating with the Tony Hawk Foundation?” Dove asked.
“I haven’t seen any money yet for a good purpose that we’ll turn down,” Williams said.
Dove used the new Skatepark of Baltimore at the Roosevelt Recreation Center in Hampden as an example of a game-changing facility.
“It was falling apart and horrible and nobody even wanted to live around there,” he said. “It took them 10 years of fundraising, but with one person they were able to get an amazing skate park that is changing that area 100 percent. There are people coming from everywhere – Philadelphia, down south – when they come through town they go to Hampden. I grew up in Baltimore and I wouldn’t even walk through that park previous to the skate park being there. It adds so much.”
Dove, who recently hosted the Old Pro Festival at the Tyson plant, drawing hundreds of skateboard enthusiasts, said the skate facility in Ocean City is falling apart, and Berlin could seize the opportunity to corner the market of area skaters.
“There is so much room to draw that tourism into Berlin,” he said. “(People) will go to Ocean City to go to bars, they will go to Ocean City to eat, go out in a boat, but if there is a great skate park and community center here you would draw a lot of people to this town.
“They already know Berlin from what we’ve done at the Tyson plant in the past couple years,” Dove continued. ”The top professionals already know Berlin – the town of Berlin – where it is, what it is and everything about it because (the festival) has been here for two years in a row. They like coming out here. They love this town. They ask about it all the time: are you going to do it again next year? Is there ever going to be skateboarding with what you do? Wouldn’t it be great if the town could coordinate with what we do and have an actual skate park there so it’s legitimate?”
Dove said he has been a professional skateboarder for more than 25 years, and has seen small towns like Donald, Ore. transformed by skate parks.
“Please stay involved in these planning sessions,” Williams said. “The squeaky wheel is going to get the grease. If people stay at home their opinions cannot be considered.”
“I’ve lived all over the world,” Dove said. “I chose Berlin because I really love this town. It’s completely different than a lot of places I’ve lived before, and I only want to see it improve. I’m not complaining.”
Patricia Dufendach, a member of the Parks Commission, asked the public to embrace Berlin parks and participate in parks activities.
“We’re having a walk on Nov. 8,” she said. “Come out and walk the park with us, get to know your neighbors. Come and see the mural. Come to the ribbon cutting. See the artist who put that mural up there. There is so much that our town wants from our parks.”
Dufendach also urged the community to attend the next commission meeting.
“You’re asking for recreation in your parks,” she said. “That means we need a department. We’re going to need a lot of money … for people to administrate it. You’re the ones who are going to help pay for it. It’s taxes, it’s people, it’s desire and volunteers are always, always, always appreciated.”
Sixteen-year-old Chad Joines made a final plea to the council.
“All of us that are here – I’m sure people are tired of seeing us in the street,” he said, earning a laugh from the crowd. “The officers – look, he’s laughing over there because he knows how many times people have called about us disrupting the public and being loud and getting in people’s way and getting in the way of cars. They’re tired of seeing us and we need somewhere else to go.”
Joines said he has spent thousands of dollars on his biking equipment, but is limited in the places he can ride in Berlin without being disruptive.
“It’s the coolest small town in America,” he said. “We have to top that now. What else can we add to this cool small town? We have an abandoned factory that isn’t doing any good. I’ve been inside of there. The place looks fine. All you have to do is clean it up and add a few things.”
“Oops,” deadpanned Police Chief Arnold Downing.
“What’s wrong with a 16-year-old going someplace he’s not supposed to go? Is that something new?” Joines said. “We’re not allowed to do the thing we love to do on a daily basis. It’s not just a hobby – it’s a way of life.”
“It’s the folks that are not involved that need to be informed,” Williams said. “Nothing is more persuasive that one-on-one conversation, especially in a small town. A few people can make a heck of an impact. We’ve seen that happen.”
The Parks Commission meets in Town Hall on 10 Williams Street in Berlin on Tuesday, Nov 4. at 5:30 p.m.