PITTSFIELD, Mass. — School officials want to close the skate park during school hours after a stabbing there on Friday.

 

The School Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to ask the Parks Commission to put up a gate and a lock. Superintendent Jason McCandless offered to have custodial staff be responsible for locking and unlocking the gate. The move follows a stabbing on Friday involving two Pittsfield High School students that led to a "shelter in place" at the high school for approximately 35 minutes. 

 

That stabbing, however, is just the tipping point for a location that is problematic, according to PHS Principal Matthew Bishop.

 

"I feel the city needs a skateboard park. I am not against a skateboard park but where our worlds intersect is that it becomes a distraction," he said. "We are caught monitoring a park when we should be focusing inside the building."

 

The park is the responsibility of the Parks Commission and PHS staff has no authority over those using it. But the park sits right across the street from the high school and Bishop says students are often skipping school to loiter there and it attracts the attention of other students.

 

"It's become less about skateboarding and biking and more about gathering," he said. "It is a draw. It is a gathering spot for youth."

 

Further, Bishop says staff can't see what is happening at the park from inside the building because trees block the view from every window. He said the park has become a "strain" on staff trying to keep an eye on the students. 

 

School Committee Chairwoman Kathleen Yon said the park is a distraction "at best and at the worst, a crime scene." She joined the chorus of administrators opposing the park being open during school hours.

 

But skaters did get some sympathy on the board. School Committee member Pamela Farron's son was one of the students who advocated for the park to be built there and he still goes there. Farron said a lot of good students advocated for the park and she was "disappointed that it had to get to that point." She ultimately voted in favor of the request.

 

McCandless said the park is a "suburb facility" as far as skateparks go and that on a summer weekend, there are many youth of all ages using the park properly. Unfortunately, that's not what administrators see midweek during the day, when the park transforms into a place for teens to loiter and cause trouble.

 

The trouble has been building over the last few years, Bishop said, hitting a peak at the end of last year — until Friday's stabbing. Member Daniel Elias said he agrees with the city having a skate park — just not where it is currently located. The skate park previously was at the First Street Common.

 

"I've never been in favor of the skateboard park in its current location. I think it is problematic," Elias said."I'm not saying get rid of the park, I am saying put a lock on it and gate it while school is in session." 

 

The request will go to the Parks Commission on Tuesday. Parks and Open Spaces Manager James McGrath attended the meeting but did not comment on the committee's request. McCandless said he'd be looking to work out a timetable for the closure of the park. 

 

"We would ask to work out a reasonable timeline," McCandless said.