SKATEBOARD PARK NEEDS A SHOW OF SUPPORT

Whether you believe skateboarders are just youngsters having fun or genuine hazards for motorists and pedestrians, one thing is clear: Skateboarding isn't going away.

So the quandary becomes where skateboarders should be allowed to participate in their chosen hobby.

Metropolis, Ill., city leaders believe they've found an answer. They built a skateboard park in one of the city parks, and it's very successful.

The city's liability insurance didn't go up. Better to have the youngsters in a controlled environment, actuaries obviously believe, than cracking their heads open on a city sidewalk.

Now Anna, Ill., is looking to follow suit. And Dan Muser, Cape Girardeau's director of parks and recreation, says a skateboard park is in the city's long-range plans.

Local skateboarders being chased off private lots may salivate at the thought of a place to call their own, but that's not enough.

Any drive to speed up construction of a skateboard park in Cape Girardeau should be led by the skateboarders themselves. If successful, not only would they learn about the process of municipal government, they would have the pride that goes along with enjoying the fruits of hard labor.