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To the Editor: 

Our company is located near the developing skateboard park and we have watched it develop over the past two years. The article you printed characterized the surrounding community as anxious that “an influx of young skaters” could have negative consequences. That is not our feeling at all. We have watched the creation of a beautiful soccer field at the same site, and now look forward to the opening of the park. I am proud that the city has invested in our youth by building this new playground. There are so few outdoor recreational opportunities for kids of varying ages. Don't people realize that access to parks, playgrounds, schoolyards, and the like can reduce vandalism? While we expect the noise level to rise, and that we may have to deal with a rowdy teenager or two, the day-to-day experience of working in this neighborhood should be more interesting with our a bird's-eye view of the stunts and acrobatics of these urban pioneers.  

Just hope we don't have to witness too many scrubs and wipe-outs. Go boarders, go. 

Jannie Dresser 

Wilderness Press 

Berkeley