EDGEWOOD — Kenton County wants to be next in a growing number of Tristate communities developing parks where skateboarders and in-line skaters can practice their tricks.

        And officials are asking the kids for help.

        Tonight, the Kenton County Mayors Group Skate Park Committee wants youths to describe elements they'd like to see in a regional skate park. The Lexington firm of Brandstetter-Carroll Inc. will incorporate those ideas into skate park designs that will be presented at a May 1 meeting in Taylor Mill.

        As skating has grown in popularity, communities throughout the Tristate have banned skaters from sidewalks and parking lots. Skate parks give enthusiasts a place to practice without fear of being ticketed or chased away, supporters say.

        “There are many kids who participate in this activity and they have no place to go,” said Kenton County Commissioner Adam Koe- nig, a member of the Kenton County Mayors Group Skate Park Committee.

        “But the sport's not going away. It's only going to grow in popularity. These kids deserve a place to go where they can participate in their activity.”

        Steve Corken, a 16-year-old Erlanger resident who has lobbied for a Kenton County skate park for about four years, said getting skaters' input is an important first step.

        “It's very important to have kids involved, but at the same time, they need to get people that really, really understand how to design a skate park,” Steve said. “Besides designing something that kids will use, they need to know what can be realistically done.”

        Steve, an in-line skater who visits a Lexington skate park monthly and a Sycamore Township indoor skate park twice a week, said a properly designed skate park would draw youths from throughout the Tristate.

        “I've been chased out of everywhere — Cincinnati, Norwood, Blue Ash, Kenton, every Kenton County city,” Steve said.

        For Tristate skaters, the closest regional skate park that doesn't charge a fee is Middletown's Baker Bowl in Smith Park. Opened in June 1999, the 22,557-square-foot concrete facility attracts skaters from as far as New York, California and Florida, Middletown officials say.

        In Northern Kentucky, Florence, Dayton and Kenton County have announced plans to build parks for skateboarding or in-line skating.

        Fort Thomas also has discussed building a skate park. Elsewhere in the Tristate, at least six other communities are building skate parks or are considering doing so.

        On March 29, the city of Covington opened a modular skate park at the Covington Sports Complex at 43rd Street and Decoursey Avenue.

        The 70- to 100-foot paved area with movable perforated steel ramps draws an average of 25 to 30 youths a day, said Denny Bowman, Covington recreation director.

        “If this one stays successful, we plan to install another (modular skate park) this summer in Goebel Park,” Mr. Bowman said.

        He added that there's a niche for neighborhood skate parks such as Covington's, as well as for the larger regional parks like the one Kenton County is considering.

        Once Kenton County officials decide on a design for a skate park, it will be easier to determine the price, officials said. Cost estimates for a skate park similar to Middletown's range from $600,000 to $700,000.

        “Our strategy is to seek contributions of labor, equipment, materials and cash from the community, once we know how much it'll cost,” said Fort Wright Administrator Larry Klein, a member of Kenton County's skate park committee.

        “We're hoping to get some major sponsors to step forward.”

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