(1/11) At the January 10th council meeting, Commissioner Crum updated her fellow Commissioners on the status of efforts to build a skatepark in the Woodsboro Regional Park.
While support continues to grow for the skatepark, the biggest concern, according to Crum, was how to collect and process contributions that have already started to come in.
Commissioner Crum said that the Skatepark Committee initially had hoped to become a 501.C charitable organization, which would allow it to solicit and accept donations to build the park. However, according to Skatepark Committee Chairman Ben Marshall, it quickly became apparent to all that the amount of effort that had to be put into filling out the 501.C paperwork far exceeded the benefits.
Marshall noted that in the case of the Thurmont Skatepark, the Thurmont Town Government served as the focal point for the collections and distribution of all funds and asked the Town Council if the Woodsboro Town government would consider doing the same by creating an account within the town budget to handle all transactions related to the funding and building of the skatepark.
Burgess Barnes quickly pushed back on Marshall’s request, stating that would create a bad precedent, not to mention that the town is only allowed to handle money from town taxpayers, and its books and accounting systems were not set up to handle contributions, let alone contributions from non-town residents.
While Thurmont’s Town government did create an internal account to handle donations for their skatepark, they were not treated as charitable contributions according to Thumont’s Town Manager Jim Humerick. "When things needed to be paid for out of that account, the Skatepark Committee communicated that information with the Town and we processed the payments. Contributors to the Thurmont Skatepark were not able to deduct their contributions off their taxes as charitable contributions."
Marshall said the reason for his request was the Skatepark Committee was afraid of opening a bank account under their personal names as the IRS would consider the money theirs, and in doing so, make it not only taxable, but raise the individual committee members tax rates in general.
Barnes asked Marshall if he had approached any existing non-profits within the town to see if the skatepark committee could uses their ‘good offices,’ and suggested he reach out to the Lions Club or the American Legion.
As Marshall pondered that recommendation, it was noted by a member of the audience that the Woodsboro Recreational Committee was a 501.C, and would be the most logical choice for a partner with the Skatepark Committee.
To the humor of everyone in the audience, Crum, smacked her head when she heard the recommendation. "I should have known that – after all - I am a member of the Recreational Committee!"
Marshall agreed to work with Crum and reach out to the Recreational Committee to see if they would be willing to help.
The Council originally gave its go ahead for building the park at its October meeting. Marshall hoped that the planned 80 x 100 feet skatepark will give skaters ample room, as well as see Woodsboro’s park made accessible for BMX bikes, which Thurmont’s does not allow. A Rough estimate places the proposed park’s cost around $100,000, not including lighting or benches.
While the town hopes to obtain State grants to cover $50,000 of the park’s cost, the town will not be eligible to apply for Program Open Space funding until Spring of 2023.
Barnes, who along with all four of the town commissioners, supports the skakepark, and said he looks forward to seeing it built and being used by kids of all ages in town.
Woodsboro is not the only town looking to follow Thurmont down the skateboard ramp. The Walkersville Town Council has also agreed to explore the idea of building a skatepark in their community park, as has Taneytown.
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