One hundred helmets passed out

The opening of Malta Skatepark brought hundreds of people to Malta's Hillcrest neighborhood last Sunday, with a majority of that population being children 18 and under. While many people hit the park on skateboard or scooter, nearly everyone had a form of protection. In order to push safety Mayor Shyla Jones, the Malta Skatepark Committee, along with several other donors donated 100 helmets to those who were chosen through a raffle at the event.

"We wanted to make sure all of the kids were safe and we didn't have any head trauma injuries," Mayor Jones told the PCN. "That is why we have a hundred helmets to give away. We have a variety of sizing from small, medium and large."

The colors or the helmets were white, green, blue and black.

"One of the rules posted says, 'you have to remember that concrete is harder than we are,' so that's why we encourage protective gear –from helmets, to knee pads to elbow pads," Mayor Jones said.

The park has ten rules posted to protect the city in instances that a skater might get injured.

Gunnar Cilz donated a majority of the helmets, paying for sixty. Cilz was unable to attend the function, so his grandfather shared why the gift was given.

"This way they don't have to pay for it," Marlin Cilz said. "It's free. There's a helmet and no excuse not to use it."

The Cilz family believes that the new park can be helpful in keeping its participants out of trouble.

"It's something for kids to do," Cilz said. "If kids have nothing to do, they will find something wrong to do. Give them something good to do, they will do it."

Cilz wants every child to be safe.

"Safety first," Cilz said. "Nobody wants a damaged kid. A broken helmet's fine. You can always replace a broken helmet."

Other donors included John and Terry McKeon, Toni and Babes Bishop.

In the near future a few local merchants will aim to sell helmets for the safety of all who wish to skate at Malta's newest park.