Dismantling of homemade skate park still a mystery

The mysterious disassembly of a home-made skate park remains unexplained, weeks after it occurred.

Several local residents report they recently saw two men with a trailer taking apart the structure, which had been setup in a cul de sac in the Drayton Heights subdivision.

When the men were asked what they were doing, residents say the men claimed they were hired by the township to remove the skate park.

Maple Street resident Linda Dietrich said that on April 18 or 19 she  saw a red truck with a flatbed trailer at the location. She said she could not see a logo on the truck - if there was one - because of how it was parked in.

The men with the truck told her and a group of people gathered at the site that the township had authorized the men to clean up the skate park. The men took some lumber away, but much of it was left by the road.

Dietrich, who went back in her house assuming the township was taking it down, added that on May 4 or 5  the remainder of the park was demolished but nothing was taken away. A neighbour told her someone in a red truck (no trailer) had been back.

Township officials say they were not involved in the dismantling of the park. However, the municipality has fenced the area off and will be removing the remainder of the lumber.

“The site has to be cleaned up by Mapleton staff as it is a danger to the community and someone could get hurt,” said Mayor Neil Driscoll.

He added, “The council is disappointed that anybody would do this destruction and blame council for it.”

Driscoll is asking anyone with information about the incident to contact him directly.