Skaters Annoyed After Lodi's Only Skate Park Closes For Repairs
LODI (CBS13) - A Lodi skate park that has been plagued with problems of trash, alcohol and vandalism is closed again.
Youngsters are now doing kickflips on the street because they were kicked out of the park.
"It's annoying. They close it a lot," said Paige Cahill, a skateboarder.
The Kofu skate park in Lodi is closed again. It's off limits to the very young people who come here nearly every day.
"I'm not much of a skater, but most of my friends are and they come out here and just chill out," said Austin Wyatt, whose friends skate at Kofu.
It is a place to keep teens out of trouble, but vandals have tagged and destroyed the park more than once. And for some time, the teenage hangout was a hot spot for drugs and alcohol.
"If it closes, it is usually because of drinking or smoking here, but not this time," said Markus Case, a skateboarder.
This time the city says they are shutting down for repairs -- replacing some of the old ramps and rails to make it safer. It means these teens say they will have to find other parks to ride.
"We just went to Elk Grove yesterday. And Galt to go skating -- probably do that. Go to San Francisco, Sacramento," said Case.
It could be weeks before the park reopens. Until then, anticipation is keeping these teens on their toes.
The skate park is the only one of its kind in Lodi.
