Thanks to Nicky Hargreaves, Chair of the Ventnor Community Projects for sending through this press release regarding the Ventnor Skate Park. Ed
We are concerned that the public were misinformed about our Meeting tonight – it was not a public meeting.
The skate-board park was not an agenda item. We were holding a committee meeting to discuss our new Gateway Project which will give a pathway to employment for a number of people as well as delivering Learning in the Community for people with learning disabilities. Also on our agenda was the Community Mini Bus Project and other ongoing activities.
A number of very nice concerned young men turned up at our meeting. We explained to them that the Isle of Wight Council wanted a named individual (not group) to take on the lease and liability that went with it. This included:-
* £10000000 Public Liability Insurance
* Daily inspections and risk assessments of the equipment and site Monday -Friday
* Anyone involved with the site had to have CRB clearance.(and rightly so)
* Child protection policy has to be in place prior to signing a lease.
* Compliance with Health and Safety.
* Maintenance/repairs of equipment an ongoing commitment.
* Daily clearing of rubbish on the site and the emptying of litter bins.
This is just a selection of conditions from a two page document.
Ventnor Community Projects as the umbrella organisation could not ask an individual to accept these terms and conditions. At the onset of this project Ventnor Community Projects agreed to facilitate partnerships with Youth and other organisations. It was never intended that we would be in anyway responsible for a skate board park.
The site since the previous lease expired a number of years ago has been in the sole ownership of the Isle of Wight Council. Other partners and the Youth that wanted this amenity from an outcome of consultation that took place with Ventnor Young people through the Grundvig 11 Project just fell by the wayside and also failed to contribute to their requested facility.
Near the end of our meeting the young men came in to see us and said they had cleared up the site and were going to contact the Isle of Wight Property Services tomorrow to try to negotiate a way to save the Ventnor skate board park.
We wish them every success and hope the people of Ventnor who now say they are supporting this project will give practical help to them. We have given the young men concerned our contact number if they need additional advise or information.
Nicky Hargeaves
Chairman
Ventnor Community Projects
If you have a comment to make about the future of the Ventnor Skate Park, please add your comment to the post Ventnor Skate Park To Be Closed? Updated
