Local skatepark facing closure due to low attendance

9:21 PM, Jun 20, 2018

Ronka Skatepark kids rallying to save their second home

KERO
Copyright 2017 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Ronka Underground Skatepark is facing closure because the owner, Suzie Harris, hasn't been able to pay rent. She said numbers of kids showing up are quickly dwindling, and with the hot summer ahead, even less will show up.

According to her, in in the first two weeks of summer in 2017, almost 400 kids came through the doors. In the first three weeks of 2018, that number dropped to 54 kids. 

This is a loss for the kids who come to enjoy exercise with friends and also to parents who rely on the facility as a safe place for their children to spend time. 

When the kids heard the news their second home would be closing, many of them rallied together. One team created a GoFundMe and others have shared the need for support to their social media pages.

"We're the adults that have been trying to hold it together and it's the kids that out there trying to rescue, and it's a really good thing," said Harris.

Harris said she's hoping to become a nonprofit, however, that will take time, which at this point she cannot afford.

 

Copyright 2018 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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