Earlier this year, Hempstead Town Supervisor Rich Guardino, joined by members of the town board, announced the grand opening of the town's first skate park, located in Baldwin Harbor at 3232 South Grand Avenue.

The new park features state-of-the-art equipment for both experienced and novice skaters, including ramps, pipes, rails, banks and pyramids. In addition, the park provides the most modern safety features. Adding to the safety features already in the park, all skaters, without exception, are required to wear approved helmets, knee pads, elbow pads and wrist guards.

"It's exciting to present young skateboarders with such a top-notch facility to use and enjoy," commented Guardino. "For parents, I'm pleased to remove the worry of children skating on local streets and sidewalks.

"Staffed by town personnel, the park provides a safe and well supervised setting for skaters to enjoy," stated Guardino. "There are also clearly defined sections for both beginner and experienced skaters to encourage use by youngsters of all skill levels."

The skate park is open year-round, seven days a week, weather permitting. Daily skating sessions run for two hours and 45 minutes. Skaters are asked to call the park office at 379-3779 to determine hours of operation. Skaters are issued a photo ID, available at a $10 cost, upon their first visit. The ID must be presented each time a skater comes to the park, as well as a $3 admission rate for town residents and $9 for nonresidents.

Any children ages 7 to 10 must be accompanied by an adult on all park visits, and skaters ages 17 and younger must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian upon initial registration, who must present picture ID and proof of residence. Skaters 18 years of age and older can sign their own registration application.

The 11,000 square-foot (100' x 112') skate park includes a bleacher section for spectators and an office area for registration and admission purposes.

While the park is open to all town residents, some youngsters in Levittown asked if such a park would be constructed closer to their community in the future. According to Town Councilman Gary Hudes, there are currently no plans to build any other skate parks in the town, at least not in the immediate future. Hudes explained that since this park is brand new, the town has to see how successful this one will be and how the logistics of it work. In addition, the location for the Baldwin Park was selected because of its remote location; any noise coming from the park does not disrupt nearby residents.

"Certainly if another one were to be constructed in the future, we would have to take into consideration all these factors," Hudes said. He added that there is another skate park located in eastern Long Island, and that now Levittown residents have access to one which is just a 20 minute ride away.

"The reason I think that the construction of this park is important is because it gives all the young skate board enthusiasts the opportunity to practice their sport in a supervised atmosphere," he added. In addition, Hudes said that safety is the most important aspect of the park.

"Rather than being in the middle of the street or on a surface where we can see many injuries, injuries are kept to a minimum because of the rules and regulations of this park." he said. "I've seen situations in the community where kids have tried to construct their own equipment; in some cases in the middle of the street, which puts them and drivers in jeopardy. The great thing about this is the fact that they now have a safe alternative. It may not be located in the heart of Levittown, but a few minutes away, they have a professionally constructed course that really will give the kids a great enjoyment and will certainly keep their time occupied in a safe manner."