Here are a couple of pix of the new iron fence put up at the main entrance of the high school.

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I agree with the School Boards decision to erect this fence. It will limit the number of repairs that will need to be made to the concrete (paying for itself over time) as well as decrease the number of potential injuries resulting from skateboarders.

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I was unaware that skateboarding was something new. I thought it had been going on for years.

Rather than solving with the problem and finding a cure, the School Board decided to deal with the symptoms.

Another example of elected officials reacting to problems rather than solving them.

A few months ago they dedicated a bench to a soldier who died in Iraq. That bench is now inside a fortress. How sad.

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A Five Year Millage? Yes
A non-limited Millage? Never
Vote NO on Proposal R

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Mr. Magoo, the only "cure" to keeping skateboarders off school property lies with teaching the students that it's wrong to destroy property for personal pleasure or sport. The school system can only teach kids so much. Parents must step up to the plate and take over on occassion, too.

Since children continue to run amok in the city and destroy property, the fence was the best deterrant. Unless you can think of a better idea that is both cost effective and practical?

I suppose you can say it's sad that Craig Frank's bench is behind a fence. Others might say it's a good thing. It was erected on school property so that future students of LPHS can remember him. Now it is protected from skateboarders trying to grind on it so that students, for decades to come, can enjoy it.

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RN222 (09-17-05)

There are other ways of dealing with skateboarders than erecting an iron fence. But I guess LP Taxpayers don't care how their school board spends their dollars.

I guess the school board feels by fencing off the entrance, they have chased away the evil influence of young kids on school property.

The high school opened in 1963. After 40 years the school board now feels compelled to wall off the school from outsiders. One would think they should be spending time on improving the education for students.

From my experience, there was always more problems with people getting onto the roof then into the building than playing on the steps at the entrance.

Heck, why not place a wall around the entire school? Keep everyone out. That would solve everything. In fact, they can keep the gates locked 12 months a year. If you are going to deal with skateboarders then why not do it right.

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Maybe they should put a fence around the entire school? Maybe they wanted to, but didn't have the money?

The School Board just spent a bunch of money redoing the concrete and asphalt in front of the school. They want to protect their investment. I don't see anything wrong with that.

Skateboarding has been around for many years. It started becoming very popular in the 1980's. During the 1990's, skateboarding took on a new style. It went from half pipes and drained pools to urban enviornments...rails, steps, benches, etc. Over the past 15 years, skateboarders have begun using city scapes as their playground. While it may seem like innocent fun to them, it does damage property. And injured boarders can result in lawsuits.

Ask me how I know this...and I will tell you that I am a former skateboarder. I took up skateboarding in the late 1980's...using the "old school" boards with the round tip and the lifted tail. I have seen skateboards evolve into what they are today...and I have seen the sport evolve into destruction of city and personal property.

I remember a very popular pro-boarder who was nicknamed "The Gator". He and his "colleagues" took boarding to the next level by introducing it to buildings, walkways, and parks. At 9 years old, I tried to imitate some of the things I saw them doing on television. I took my skateboard down a large slide in a local park in southern California...trying to grind the rail. I ended up breaking my wrist in two places. Because I was scared that my mother would be angry with me for trying such a foolish stunt, I concocted a story that I was innocently riding my skateboard on the sidewalk at the park and hit a parcel of rasied concrete, resulting in an accident and a broken wrist. My mother was ready to contact the city about damaged concrete at the park...until I fessed up that it wasn't the parks fault.

There is no way to stop skateboarders from using public property to have fun...other than to find a way to lock them out.

Skateboarders harm property...and they injure themselves in the process, thus opening the floodgates to the possibility of lawsuits. I know this...I used to be one of them.

This fence around that area will keep them out. And it will protect Craig Franks bench from being used to perform stunts. Most skateboarders wouldn't see his bench as a memory of him...they would see it something that they could use for a stunt...thereby destroying it.

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I think the black iron fence looks out of place because it doesn't match the outside of the building.

Want to a see a school that looks like a prison ... it's Monroe High School in Monroe. The school is on Hurd Rd. between M-50 & Dunbar Rd. There is a fence around the school & parking lot. The fence sits on the property line. There are very few windows in the school. Had a guard shack many years ago.

Has anyone heard anything about the Giant Lincoln Penny that was stolen from the High School at the end of the school year?

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I skateboarded myself when I was a kid. That was in the early 60s. Skateboards were just being marketed. They were pretty much a board with a roller skate attached.

Injuries resulted more from the ballbearing suddenly freezing up than from jumping onto something. Heck, it was hard enough to get the thing to turn let alone do stunts. Of course if you were riding down the streeet and the ballbearing suddenly froze, the board would stop and you would keep going. Like it or not you started doing aerial stunts. (and the only sport that wore a helmit was football)

But I also remember when the powers that be decided to place a fence around the hill at Gregory Park (now called Youth Center Park) The city decided there were too many injuries from kids riding their bike or sled down the steep end of the hill so they put a fence around it. All that happened was kids were riding down the steep end into the fence and getting hurt.

They ended up removing the hill.

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recordar la yocorazon

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I agree 100%

It also looks G-H-E-T-T-O

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my condo association in fla. handled the scateboarders in what i thought was a very good way, when they replaced the concrete, they used a type called i believe it was " heavy aggregate concrete" or something to that affect. at any rate it has a large amount of stones on the surface, making a rough surface that doesent welcome scateboards. maybe that could be used here. it also looks very nice.

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The skateboarders would not want me to catch them grinding along Craig's bench. I would personally give them something to contemplate while they are healing. That bench was not placed there for them to use as a stunt ramp.

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Arctic Cat Thundercat Test Pilot

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We have the same problem at the historical museum. Don't laugh but several of us have said that the only thing that will prevent the skateboards from damaging our museum is a nice wrought iron fence. I don't see the fence at the high school so offensive. Did you notice that there is a new auto repair shop at Lafayette and Southfield that did a nice decorative block wall along the rear of the property with the wrought iron on top. It looks nice.

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I think it looks nice. Although I wish they had not erected a fence at all. When I skateboarded, I didn't do it at places like that. I wish LP Had a skateboarding center. There was talk awhile back, but I think the city offficials killed the projec.

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I visited there when it first opened in "75" . It was a prison ! Guard shack and all. Sports teams from other schools would arrive and the guard would see them in uniform with equipment and ask what where they there for ? NO JOKE ! It really happened !

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Unfortunately, the only ones who will ever see that bench now are students during school hours.

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well prisons and high schools, about the same things, both full of criminals and deviants.

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When I was growing up in Wyandotte, the schools had janitors that were at the premise at all times, night and day. They always seem to keep an eye out on what was going on around the school grounds in between their other duties. I realize they are not security personnel but you could always count on them coming out to see what we were doing and talk with us. It was great when a ball we were playing with would land on the roof. Our neighbor hood school janitor would go up there and retrieve it for us. Do they have janitors at schools these days 24 hours? If they do, do they interact with the kids who play on the grounds or do they sit on a computer, watch TV, etc.?

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So how much did you get in the settlement?

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City Council:
• Thomas A. Murphy
• Valerie Brady
• Michael Lemuel
• Thomas McPartlin
• John R. Nelligan
• James E. Rutherford

City Treasurer: Craig Sochocki

Proposal R: NO

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Just to elaborate a little more on the fence, it was done for other reasons than just to cut down on skateboarding, several of the break-ins that have happened at the high school in recent years have been right through the front of the school, with this fence that is no longer as inviting. As far as the penny goes, last I heard from talking to several of the staff, is they believe they know who did it, but there was never enough sufficient evidence. I personally don't think it looks that bad.

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Somebody needs to see an eye doctor.

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