Although a new city park to serve skateboarders, inline skaters and bicyclists is under construction in Roland Bland Park, the controversy surrounding its approval and operation has not died down.

Candidates for Bowling Green City Commission have a variety of views on whether the park should have been built at all, and how much public support it should receive when it’s open for visitors.

Many citizens have complained they didn’t know a skate park was being considered until after the fact – although Commissioner Brian &#8220Slim” Nash campaigned on it in 2004; its design, location and funding were all publicly announced and approved by commissioners; and it was the subject of several dozen newspaper articles and frequent mention on TV news. A series of advertised public meetings was held to decide what features to include in the design.

Nash has been the skate park’s most vocal and enthusiastic advocate.

&#8220It surprises me that people can be so upset about getting kids out of parking lots, off of sidewalks and off of the street,” he said.

It’s a widespread misconception there was no opportunity for skate park opponents to speak up in advance, Nash said. The park was openly discussed in budget hearings of unprecedented length and openness, and could have been taken out at any point before the final vote – yet not one person came before the commission to speak against it, though many people showed up to debate other budget items, he said.

On regular surveys done by the city Parks & Recreation Department, the most requested type of new facility was a skate park, Nash said.

The city has fielded complaints about the park’s $850,000 cost, although that is one-tenth of one percent of the annual city budget – especially since the skate park’s inclusion in the budget was followed by commission denial of half the Bowling Green International Festival’s requested funding and of all $13,026 requested by two local orchestras.

The city ran a $9 million budget surplus this year, spending much of the money on major one-time construction projects, including the skate park.

Despite the park’s construction cost, two concrete bowls were dropped from the plans as too expensive. Skate park backers are selling sponsorships and ads, and seeking donations, to raise about $3,000 to get one of those bowls back in the initial construction.

This year’s plans also leave out nighttime lights, some landscaping and benches, restrooms and a proposed vending area. City Parks & Recreation Director Ernie Gouvas has said he intends to apply for a federal grant next year to cover half the estimated $80,000 cost of lights, but the remainder would probably have to come from the city.

Nash said he’s concerned about vague statements that only a few people are likely to use the skate park. Skaters are hard to count, and demand is not guaranteed to remain the same, he said.

&#8220What I can tell you is, we didn’t have as many soccer players in Bowling Green before we built the (Lovers Lane) Soccer Complex as we did after we built it,” Nash said.

Whatever people thought about it beforehand, now that the park is being built it should be encouraged to succeed like any other city facility, Nash said.

Lights are a crucial part of that success, he said, however they have to be paid for.

Commissioner Delane Simpson said the project seemed justified since the city had the money. It serves a population that had no local facilities, while the city has already built parks for many other sports, such as golf and tennis, he said.

&#8220We need to get behind it, and do everything possible to make it safe and secure,” Simpson said. But he immediately followed that by ruling out support for additional amenities.

&#8220The city’s not going to spend any more money on the skate park,” Simpson said. &#8220I don’t want to see that happen.”

The park needs lights for safety and to prevent vandalism, Commissioner Brian Strow said, but he didn’t want to put any city money into that, or at least any more than could be avoided.

&#8220As is true for any park improvement, a public/private partnership is best,” Strow said.

Former Commissioner Joe Denning, seeking a return to the commission, said he objects to the park’s initial cost.

&#8220I don’t know that I would have agreed to have spent the amount of money that was spent on the skate park,” he said.

But once it’s done, it’s part of the city park system and should be operated like any other, Denning said.

&#8220Since it is under construction and it belongs to the city of Bowling Green, I think every effort should be made for its utilization,” he said.

Donna Renaud, a Western Kentucky University instructor seeking a commission seat, said she would not have voted for the skate park if she’d been on the commission last year, at least with skating bowls more than 6 feet deep, which present much greater risks.

&#8220I think it has a risk of being a high liability issue for the city,” she said.

When Louisville built its Louisville Extreme Park, it generated 180 emergency room trips in its first six months of operation, and that city just settled a major lawsuit, Renaud said. This year Louisville paid a $1.5 million settlement to the family of a boy hurt when he fell off his bike at the park in 2002, though the city admitted no legal responsibility for the injury.

She also objected to the speed with which the Bowling Green skate park was approved, saying alternate funding sources were not explored. The city should have sought big corporate sponsorships in advance, Renaud said.

Candidate Bruce Wilkerson, a retired Bowling Green police officer, said he opposes the park, calling it too much money for too few users.

&#8220I would be hard pressed to find additional funds to pay for anything else,” even lights, he said.

Wilkerson dislikes creating a &#8220concrete canyon” in Roland Bland Park – and it will hamper other city efforts to revitalize the nearby downtown, he said.

Residents and businesses won’t move near the skate park and its regular visitors, wanting to avoid &#8220that type of kid,” Wilkerson said.

Candidate Mark Bradford said he disapproves of the park’s construction and would not put anything further into it, even for lighting.

&#8220It’s something I don’t think the city can afford,” he said. &#8220Other projects are more worthwhile.”

Candidate Edmond Schwab Jr. did not return a call seeking comment. A candidates’ questionnaire sent to his official address was returned, and the Fraternal Order of Police was unable to contact him to participate in a candidates’ forum this week.