We opened the skatepark that I wrote about last week. Pictured left to right above is city council member Ray Black, Mayor Jim Miller, council member Clark Bunch, council member Jim Treglown and the namesake of the park Joe Young. The mayor can be seen holding a giant pair of golden scissors, yes there really is such a thing. By the way, I thought everyone would holding onto the ribbon; it was only tied at one end just long enough to take the picture. The day was a qualified success, drawing a huge crowd that hung around all day. Joe’s dad grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and later smoked a few chickens. The skate park is the latest upgrade to our parks and rec center. If you don’t give kids something to do they will find something to do and you might not like it. We will know where the kids at the skatepark are, in a safe controlled environment. If you don’t plan it then you can’t control it. That’s the thought process behind building skateparks, ball fields, creating teams, opening the gym on weeknights… it’s why James Naismith invented basketball. When you invest in the community you get a better community. (The same principle applies to churches.)