City of Port Townsend should install lights for skaters | Letter to the editor

Posted

I’m writing to you all as a teenager myself who has lived in Port Townsend for 14 years of my life and who has spent many days at the local skatepark. 

After completing my seventh-grade year at Blue Heron Middle School in 2017, all my friends and I would go to the skate park and watch all the amazing skaters that PT has and it was honestly fascinating. When COVID-19 hit in 2020, my dearest friend, Samantha Stromberg, decided to take on in her dad’s footsteps and learn how to skate! There are not many female skaters in PT but I’m seeing many more since Samantha has dedicated her time at the skatepark to skate and even help a few of the beginners! It’s been so fun to watch not only Samantha thrive while skating but all the younger boys and girls too.

This said, lights at the skate park would be an amazing addition to the community, especially for winter. Many say that we have enough light pollution, which yes, is true. And yes, it’s always nice to see the beautiful night sky above, but these lights don’t have to always be on. Adding timed lights, or another lighting situation is going to, for one, be so much safer and two, get these skaters out doing what they love in winter! Memorial Field also turns their lights on for games, which is happening frequently in the fall and winter seasons.

During the cold winter months these girls and boys who love to skate after school, can’t. It gets dark way too fast, and becomes dangerous for them! And adding the fact that the skate park is not in a residential neighborhood, it’s the beginning of Hudson Point.

Let’s get lights for these skaters!

Adriana Wright
BELLINGHAM