Hanover High School may serve as a temporary home for skateboarders cast from town streets by a recent decision to ban skateboarding in Hanover's business district.
The ban, which was approved by the Hanover Board of Selectman on Sept. 25, 1995, takes effect Sunday. Skateboards caught violating the ban could face fines up to $100.
Director of Town Parks and Recreation Hank Tenny and Jack Stinson, chair of the in-line skating and skateboarding committee, met last night with local skateboarders to decide what to suggest as a temporary solution to the skateboarding dilemma.
In the short run, Hanover High may spend $2,500 to tar a portion of its parking lot between the soccer and football fields to possibly allow skateboarding once teachers have left after school.
Tenny said finding a rapidly available surface is part of the "short range" solution to the skateboarding dilemma.
The long range goal is the creation of a "skateboard park" near Hanover within two years, if liability and supervision issues can be cleared with Hanover High School and city officials, Tenny said.
"Whatever is available is good," said Jeremy Sahlman, a sophomore at the high school. "As soon as this gets banned, we're gong to have very limited places to skate."
Some specific details still must be worked out, and the arrangement still awaits Hanover High's approval, Tenney said. He said the school and the town is working together to make "a place for these kids to skate a reality."
But local skateboarders described the proposed solution as less than ideal.
"We spend enough time at school already," freshman Bobby Oxman said.
There were also complaints that ramps and other skateboarding structures would be difficult to drag on and off the paved surface daily.
Hanover High junior Rowan Wade, who said the ban is a result of town merchants' view of skateboarders, said, "The streets were everything to the skateboard community."
"A lot of people say they're scared of seeing big groups of skateboarders around town," Wade said. "But I've talked to girls at my high school who are more intimidated by crowds of Dartmouth men, drunk and pissing on Allen Street. It's very interesting what the community finds acceptable."
