Gudas, at student at Winamac Community High School, told the town board the skate park would be used by skateboarders, also BMX bikers and roller skaters. He plans to raise money through donations, fundraisers, foundations, grants, and in-kind donations. He hopes to work with the Town of Winamac,
volunteers coordinated through him, and an advocacy board of five members.
Gudas explained that skateboarding provides exercise through recreation and it's a “free” activity for kids. He listed several reasons to build a skate park in Winamac:
- The skate park will provide a safe place to recreate off the streets.
- Skate parks, if designed and constructed correctly, are fiscally conservative and require very little maintenance.
- With national health issues looming for today’s youth, it’s time to offer a greater number of healthy, athletic choices.
- Skating in a park is much safer than skating in the streets, where it can interfere with traffic and pedestrians.
- Skateboarding is mainstream.
- Skate parks are flexible in design and can work in many different sized plots.
Gudas outlined liability issues associated with such a project, including state laws and procedures that cover similar recreational parks. He showed photos as examples of small skate parks.
He has also collected 334 signatures from people in support of the skate park. He will keep the town board updated on the progress of his project.
