Voters to decide fate of levy for Milford skate park

Milford residents will be asked in the Nov. 6 general election to vote on a millage to fund a proposed skateboard park and community garden.

The Milford Parks and Recreation Department is asking for a maximum of 0.25 mills for four years, from 2012 through 2015, before that levy would be reduced to 0.025 mills for an additional 16 years, from 2016 through 2031.

A 0.25-mill levy would cost the owner of a village property with a taxable value of $100,000 ($200,000 market value) $25 a year, while a 0.025 levy would cost the same property owner $2.50 in each of the last 16 years of the levy.

The levy of 0.25 mills is expected to raise an estimated $190,521 in the first year of the millage collection if approved.

The Milford Village Council previously approved the concept of a proposed location for what supporters are calling the Skate Garden on a 12-acre site on the north side of General Motors Road at its intersection with Martindale Road.

A final design for the Skate Garden has not yet been determined, but Steve Wolfe, chairman of the Milford Township Parks and Recreation Commission, said the park will allow skateboarders, in-line skaters and BMX bikers to legally practice and develop their skills.

There would be separate areas of the park sectioned off for different skill levels, from beginners to experts, as well as picnic areas and other amenities for families to eat and watch their children while enjoying the atmosphere of a 3-acre garden.

Wolfe added that the Skate Garden would not only attract people from outside the township and could possibly host competitions, but also give Milford’s young people a place to do something they love without being ostracized, considering skateboarding is prohibited in many places in Milford.

He also said that the first four years of the millage collection would go toward the construction of the Skate Garden, while the next 16 years of the collection would go toward its maintenance.

The Friends of Milford Skate Park group, a non-profit, tax-exempt organization that raises money through fund-raisers and donations, has been pushing for the construction of a skate park in Milford since the group formed nearly eight years ago.

The group is headed by Chairman Ric Mueller, also a member of the township’s Planning Commission, who said that the millage could only be used for the construction and maintenance of the Skate Garden.