Marshfield Skate Park

Editorial -- Honoring Bob Pollard
Wednesday, March 07, 2007 - Updated: 08:55 PM EST

Last year’s Marshfield Citizen of the Year, Ron Bersani, could not be at the meeting in which his successor was named. However, he left two messages for the committee to consider as it convened recently to select this year’s recipient.
The first was that, after reading the nominations, he was even prouder to have won last year because of the quality of this year’s nominees. He’s right; residents made outstanding selections, several of whom would have done the town proud as honorees.
Bersani’s second message was in his support of the late Bob Pollard as Citizen of the Year. In it, he told of how his 14- and 15-year-old grandchildren worshipped Pollard, and how much he meant to young people in town:
“I never met him, but I wish I had,” Bersani wrote. “He had the unique ability to see something special in every kid. He saw beyond the crazy clothes, hair colors and language to respect the creativity and special goodness in kids that didn’t fit the ‘cookie cutter’ image most adults look for.”
There was more, but Bersani’s message goes to the heart of what made Pollard special — the open-mindedness and ability to inspire the youth of Marshfield. Those whom he inspired turned out in force after he died last July, be it at a candlelight vigil and memorial service at Uncle Bud Skate Park, the sunrise paddle out at Rexhame Beach or waiting two hours at MacDonald Funeral Home to pay their respects.
Pollard joins a growing and distinguished list of recipients of the award, which is co-sponsored by the Marshfield Mariner and the Marshfield Chamber of Commerce. Each winter the Mariner runs a nomination form in the newspaper and readers are encouraged to nominate a worthy candidate. After the nomination period ends following the holidays, a selection committee made up of former Citizen of the Year recipients and a representative from the Mariner and the chamber select the winning candidate. Winners of the award since 1997, when the Mariner and the chamber joined forces to co-sponsor the award, include Joe Weinman, Janet Gibson, Bill Stanton, Mary Doolan, Kathleen and Robert Carr, the Rev. Bob Jackson, Roy Kirby, Roni Lahage and Ron Bersani.
Now Bob Pollard can be added to that list. The “hole in our world” that the Rev. Ginger Brasher Cunningham of North River Community Church referred to at the memorial service is still there, but the impact and the memories live on. It is in honor of both that we are proud to name Pollard Marshfield’s Citizen of the Year for 2006.

Connecting with kids: Surfer Bob selected as Citizen of the Year
By Kathryn Koch
The Marshfield Mariner
Tuesday, March 06, 2007 - Updated: 03:41 PM EST

More than 100 people gathered to pay tribute to Bob Pollard at Rexhame Beach after he died last July 7. Pollard was recently named Marshfield’s Citizen of the Year for 2006.

“Surfer Bob” Pollard understood young people, and they caught on to what he taught them in his own way about making the most out of life.

Amelia English, Bob’s wife, said no one who asked Bob for advice was turned away.

“He was so helpful to anyone who walked in the door, the kids especially,” she said. “So many kids loved him.”
At college essay writing time, Bob Pollard was a popular topic for teens who wanted to write about a person who had inspired them. His family has copies of these essays that they treasure.
Amelia said she’s proud of Bob for what he taught their young children, Hope and Peregrine, as well as what he taught others before he died suddenly July 7, 2006, at the age of 34.
Amelia said Bob was always happy when he could help another human being find his or her own way.
“He taught by example,” she said.
It is that type of example that led to Bob’s selection as Citizen of the Year for 2006.
One of the centers of Pollard’s universe was his shop, Levitate Surf and Skate, in Marshfield Center.
Bob’s mother, Teresa Pollard, said she has learned since his death how much of an impact he had on young people and the surfing community and how they returned the goodwill.
“We all learned what a wonderful community the surfing community is and how united they are,” she said. “They are extraordinary people, a brotherhood.”
Teresa said Bob was easy-going as a boy growing up in Marshfield Hills, which she described as an old-fashioned berg where children learned old-fashioned values. She said he loved to skate, fish and hike, but most of all he loved the sea. Her other children love to sail, she said, but Bob would never get on board.
“He had to be on the water, on the waves on the board,” she said.
Teresa said people could always trust that Bob would never share anything he was told in confidence with anyone.
“If you gave him confidences, he never broke them, never said, ‘Wait until you hear what I’ve heard,’” she said. “He kept private what was told to him.”
Bob was a wonderful son and a caring person who is missed, she said. She likes knowing that his shop is in the hands of manager Kevin Wormersley, and she’s pleased that Bob’s customers continue to be loyal.
Erik Volpe, a best friend of Bob’s, said he sold passion, enthusiasm and compassion at Levitate, to the point that he was often called the worst businessman, but was the best business owner to the kids he sold discounted merchandise.
“I think people felt compelled to support him,” Volpe said. “He was a good man with a good heart.”
When she would ask what he was thinking giving things away, Amelia said, “He’d say, honey, we’re selling the lifestyle.”
Bob would look over their report cards, and in his subtle and non-demanding way, encourage them to do well in school.
One of the lessons Bob taught, Amelia said, it that cliques could be broken. Bob would hold Sunday night skateboard sessions and invite kids and adults who might not otherwise get to know each other.
“They were a diverse group, but that’s what his whole shop was all about,” she said.
Volpe said the surf shop was a cultural mecca for the surfing community, and continues to be in its new location across the street, although it’s a shame that Bob did not live to see the Levitate Boarding Company open. Volpe said the shop honors Bob.
The beach in front of the new shop was Bob’s idea, down to his vision of surfboards in the sand.
“It’s exactly what he wanted,” Volpe said.
The Marshfield Chamber of Commerce and the Marshfield Department of Public Works rewarded their efforts with a Renaissance Award for significant improvement to the property.
Teresa Pollard said so many busy people came forward after Bob died to volunteer their time to making the beach a reality, and she’ll be forever grateful to every one. She said she wants to thank everyone who had a part in fulfilling Bob’s goal to open the new shop.
The sense of community that she felt in Marshfield when Bob died demonstrates to Bob’s sister, Sally Fiore, why Bob cared so much about Marshfield. Even after traveling the world, he returned to his hometown because he loved the town. A history buff, she said he often shared his interest in Marshfield’s heritage as well as his love of the environment.
Fiore said she lives next door in Kingston, but is always happy to return to Marshfield to visit her parents and friends and will probably make Marshfield home again the next time she moves.
By leading by example, Fiore said, Bob showed young people in town what it means to live the way you want to live.
“He committed himself to being a positive force in their lives,” she said. “They hopefully take with them some of the values he hoped to instill.”
Most mornings, Fiore listens to a collection of songs Bob made for her, his other siblings and his friends. She said the consistent theme song to song is about living life your own way, not having to fit a mold, and following your beliefs and dreams.
“That’s just what Bob is all about,” she said.
Fiore said she appreciates that Bob has been named Citizen of the Year because she said it’s an opportunity to thank the people of Marshfield for their support.
“It made me proud not only of Bob but about the Marshfield community for being able to recognize somebody who was so special,” she said.
A date and time of the annual Citizen of the Year banquet has yet to be determined.
English said it’s a nice honor for Bob and his whole family for him to named Citizen of the Year, but feels it will be especially meaningful to their children, who will turn 6 and 3 years old this spring.
“I’m really happy for my kids that they have that,” she said. “Since they won’t get to know him, it’s a nice thing to say about their Dad.”
In describing the honor to them, she compared it to the Islander of the Year Award for the most worthy candidate nominated by the children of Birdwell Island in an episode of the animated television series “Clifford the Big Red Dog.”
Amelia said Bob reached out at every opportunity to talk about all that Marshfield has to offer.
“He wanted to make Marshfield a better place,” she said.
Volpe said it was inevitable that Bob would some day be named Citizen of the Year for Marshfield. He said the legacy he leaves behind includes his family, his shop, and his genuine and authentic personality.
Sally said Bob had a job he loved, where he could share his passion for surfing, and had his family close by. She said he thought he could help young people at least on a small scale, but he has done more than that.
“I think the ripples of that spread a lot farther than he ever imagined,” she said.
The Citizen of the Year award is co-sponsored by the Marshfield Mariner and the Marshfield Chamber of Commerce. Nominations are sought through the newspaper in late-November and early December, and a selection committee made up of past Citizens of the Year, as well as a representative from the Mariner and a representative from the chamber, makes the final selection.

‘HE WAS A LEADER’ - A life cut short: Surfing community mourns Marshfield shop owner’s death

By RACHEL SLAJDA
The Patriot Ledger

MARSHFIELD - The surfboard that once carried Bob Pollard was topped with flowers as it floated in the ocean off Beetle Rock.

After paddling out into the ocean yesterday morning, nearly 200 surfers formed a circle around Pollard’s board. They were there to remember Pollard, a 34-year-old Marshfield man who loved to surf.

‘‘He had a passion for everyone he encountered, even if you met him for two minutes,’’ said his sister, Ann Pollard of Marshfield.

Pollard died in his home early Friday, a few hours after he went to South Shore Hospital in Weymouth complaining of severe abdominal pain. Hospital personnel ran tests, Pollard’s family said, but they were unable to find anything wrong and sent him home. They said an autopsy will be performed.

‘‘He was an ambassador of surfing in Massachusetts and New England,’’ said friend Erik Volpe, who now lives in California.

Pollard owned Levitate Surf and Skate, across the street from Marshfield Skate Park. It was where surfers and skaters gathered to buy gear, get boards repaired and sign up for Pollard’s surfing lessons.

Pollard opened the shop three years ago when he heard the town was building a skate park.

He helped raise money for the park when the skate park alliance needed financing to make the park handicapped-accessible, alliance fundraising chairman Roy Kirby said.

Kirby has donated wood, tools and the use of his woodworking shop for the family to build a custom-made coffin for Pollard.

‘‘It’s something I’m never going to forget,’’ he said.

‘‘He (Pollard) was a leader,’’ said John Wilpers, whose daughter, Melissa, took lessons with Pollard beginning in 2004 and has gotten a dozen of her friends hooked on surfing.

‘‘He was able to give direction and meaning in life to kids. He could relate to them,’’ Wilpers said.

Pollard was an environmentalist who encouraged kids to respect the ocean, family members said. But he was not known for his business prowess.

He often gave discounts to kids who had saved up almost enough money for a new board. On occasion he gave gear away for free.

Pollard, who was one of 10 siblings, always followed his own path, sometimes against the advice of his family.

When he left Bridgewater State College after a year, his sister, Mary Arnold of Marshfield, tried to convince him to stay in school.

‘‘He looked at me and he said, ‘Mary, I might not be here when I’m 65 to enjoy retirement. I’m going to live my life,’’’ Arnold said.

‘‘Few of us are brave enough to take his path,’’ Ann Pollard said.

He spent the next 10 winters surfing on the East and West coasts, Indonesia, South Africa, Costa Rica and Hawaii. He would save up money by working in the summer at Mill Wharf Restaurant in Scituate.

But of all the places he traveled, he said the South Shore - especially Marshfield - was the most beautiful.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Marshfield Skate Park on Webster Street.

Rachel Slajda may be reached at rslajda@ledger.com .

The great hot tub debate
Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Two local politicos debating town issues in a hot tub is sure to make a splash.

That's what Roy Kirby's hoping anyway.

Kirby, who is co-chairman of the Marshfield Skatepark Alliance, will host the proposed debate in his own hot tub and is auctioning off two spectator seats in the tub as a means of raising money for handicapped access renovations at the park.

The auction, featuring "front row" seats to the hot-tub forum and a host of other items will be held next week on the local cable access show "Our Town" airing Wednesday, May 25 at 7 p.m.

According to Kirby, the auction will feature many great items to bid on including a $500 gift certificate for groceries from Buy the Case, two cords of firewood, and several gift certificates to local shops and businesses.

But Kirby said the grandest and most bizarre of the prizes will be the in-the-water access to the heated hot tub debate between Town Moderator Jim Robinson and political activist Bob Parkis. The outspoken Parkis is often at odds with Robinson whether it is on the Town Meeting floor or on the editorial pages of local newspapers.

"Bob Parkis said he'd only do it under certain conditions -Jim Robinson can't wear a shirt and has to get a tattoo," Kirby said with a laugh. "They've both got great senses of humor when they want to."

Kirby said there has been no word yet on the attire for the hot tub debate, or if Robinson will indulge in body art, but the debate will be held sometime this summer in his yard. There is room for five in the hot tub, Parkis, Robinson and the debate moderator WATD owner Ed Perry, and two "lucky" auction winners.

All of the auction items are listed on the Skatepark Alliance's Web site, www.marshfieldskatepark.org.

Town Meeting appropriated $75,000 for renovations to the Uncle Bud Skatepark which the state's Architectural Access Board had threatened to close if the handicapped access violations in the park's amphitheater seating area were not rectified. Kirby told voters that if they appropriated the funds, the Skatepark Alliance would raise the funds to reimburse the town.So far, the Alliance has raised more than $10,000 toward the project, and one anonymous donor offered to match any funds they raise up to $20,000.
- Elizabeth Malloy

Renovation funds roll in to skatepark
By Elizabeth Malloy/ emalloy@cnc.com
Wednesday, May 4, 2005

Roy Kirby, co-chairman of the Marshfield Skatepark Alliance, promised Town Meeting voters last week that if they voted in favor of $75,000 to make the Uncle Bud Skatepark fully handicapped accessible and keep it open, they would not have to foot the entire bill.

So far, the Skatepark Alliance is $5,000 closer to keeping that promise.

Jay Crowley, also co-chairman of the Alliance, said that fundraising efforts began almost as soon as Town Meeting voted on the issue late in the second session of Town Meeting April 26. Before the next session of Town Meeting April 28, volunteers gave an historical Marshfield calendar and a local coupon book to anyone who offered a donation of $25 to the Skatepark Alliance. Last Saturday, Kirby raised money outside the polls at the town election, and in a major coup for the Alliance, one donor who wished to remain anonymous offered to match any funds raised up to $20,000.

"This dedication to the children of Marshfield makes me proud to live and work here," Crowley said.

Three weeks ago the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (AAB) told the town if the skatepark was not made handicapped accessible it would have to close down. Had town meeting not supported spending $75,000 to make the handicapped access renovations required, the facility would have closed immediately. With voter approval the town has until September 30 to make the park compliant.

The Uncle Bud Skatepark was built by the Skatepark Alliance, a private citizens group which turned it over to the town in November of last year making it the town's responsibility to correct the park's handicapped access issues. Some Town Meeting voters said town funds shouldn't be used to correct a problem brought about by a private group and voted against the funding, but more voters agreed the park was such a success with local kids that paying the money was worth it.

"Our spirit was always not to go to the town for the money and I think that that can still happen," Kirby said at Town Meeting. "If we can get this vote passed for $75,000 we will, the Skatepark Alliance, still strive forward...to make sure this complies [with the handicapped accessibility laws]."

The skatepark has one handicapped access ramp but the AAB said that was not enough, and the park also needed new railings and some other adjustments. Crowley said the Skatepark Alliance thought the one ramp was sufficient when the park was being built. The access is needed for the ampitheatre are in which the town plans to host movies and concerts, or for handicapped parents who would like to watch their children, Town Administrator John Clifford said.

In addition to the fundraising at Town Meeting and the town elections, the Skatepark Alliance will host several upcoming events to generate money. On May 18 there will be a telethon on several community access shows and on the Alliance is planning a concert to kick off the July 4th weekend this summer. The venue has not been decided but Kirby has already booked the Caribbean Cruize band, and some local dance studios are on board to give people salsa dancing lessons before the show.

This Wednesday, Crowley and Kirby are meeting with engineers from the DPW to go over the variances they need to apply for and plan to meet with the AAB in May.

Crowley said he's been told the AAB moves quickly with permits and if they receive the variances they need, the members of the Skatepark Alliance are hopeful they will be able to get the work done before the September 30 deadline.

Echoing Kirby's promise to town meeting, Crowley said he is confident the skatepark will not need the whole $75,000, and he hopes the town will have to foot little to none of the bill.

"That was a high estimate, a better safe than sorry estimate," Crowley said. "There's no way in blazes it's going to cost $75,000."

To donate money or for more information on the skatepark, look on the Web at www.marshfieldskatepark.org.

Committee getting voters on board
By Elizabeth Malloy/ emalloy@cnc.com
Wednesday, April 20, 2005

The Marshfield citizens who created the Uncle Bud Skate Park in Library Plaza don't have a campaign planned to convince Town Meeting voters to keep the plan open-they're confident residents will support the park on their own.

"Most people in town know that the skate park is one of the most family-friendly places in town. As long as it's not snowing out it's busy," said Jay Crowley, a member of the Marshfield Skate Park Committee. "The only plan we have is to tell (voters) how important the park is to the town."

Last week, the Massachusetts Architectural Access Board (AAB) told Marshfield town officials the park is in violation of several state handicapped access regulations and added officials have until Sept. 30 to correct the problem. However, the AAB said if residents do not vote to set aside $75,000 for the repairs at the upcoming Town Meeting, then the park will be closed immediately.

"We were really caught by surprise," Crowley said of the AAB ruling. "We were definitely under the impression that we were up to code."

Crowley said that the Skate Park Committee could not afford a professional architect and relied mostly on volunteer efforts to build the park. The park has one handicapped access ramp and the nearby playground is accessible, and Crowley said everyone on the committee thought these provisions were enough.

The Uncle Bud Skate Park was completed about a year ago and in November, the Skate Park Committee gave authority of the park to the town, making the changes the town's responsibility. Town Administrator John Clifford said before Town Meeting, he and other town officials are going to see if there are any variances they can apply for to lessen the amount of work that needs to be done and thereby lessen the expenditure.

Clifford said the town has spent "a lot" of money over the past few years on making various areas more handicapped-accessible, including Furnace Brook Middle School, Veteran's Memorial Park and the Town Pier. Most of the changes, including the recent AAB hearing, came as the result of residents complaints.

In addition to ramps and jumps, the skate park also serves as an amphitheater where the town sometimes holds concerts or shows movies, which is the main reason citizens want the park to be handicapped-accessible, Clifford said.

"There have to be provisions for a handicapped parent who wants to watch their children," Clifford said.

The building codes for handicapped-accessibility in the state are very detailed and often confusing, Clifford said, so the town is holding a workshop for town employees on April 26 to educate them in order to prevent anything like this happen on other town projects.

Clifford said he and other town officials are confident they will be able to take out a bond for the $75,000 so it will not seriously disrupt any other town projects, as he noted Marshfield will be facing a fiscal crisis in the next few years.

Crowley said fundraising to keep the park open would be tough because so many people already gave to keep it open.

"We're really just hoping that people come out and approve the expenditure," he said.

Out of Compliance
Skatepark could close this month
By Kathryn Kock, MPG Newspapers
April 13, 2005

Marshfield - The town has handicapped itself.

The Uncle Bud Skate Park will close April 30 unless town meeting votes to spend $75,000 to make the structure comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements.

Three other structures in town are also not in compliance with ADA requirements.

If voters reject the capital budget committee's recommendation against appropriating the $75,000 and decide to spend town money on the park, the state Architectural Access Board will give the town until Sept. 30 to make the necessary changes.

Before the meeting with the access board Monday, town administrator John Clifford said he had been told the park would be closed down July 1.

Selectman Michael Maresco said a private fundraising effort is the most likely solution to the skatepark's compliance.

He said he doubts voters will approve town money for recreation when other projects like seawall repairs, which residents want, are also left off the list of projects recommended by the capital budget committee.

Maresco said he supported the private effort to build the skatepark and would not like to have to go to the route of dismantling the park.

Two of the problems with the skatepark are that the picnic tables are not high enough for wheelchairs and that wheelchairs cannot access all levels of seating at the end of the park.

He said the picnic tables might be removed, and the seating might be eliminated.

"We want to make sure we address the accessibility issue," he said.

The town has other compliance issues to worry about. The bridge over the South River had to be closed because the planks are too far apart, a pole at the high school track designed to keep all-terrain vehicles off the track also keeps wheelchairs out, and there are only steps to access the Route 3A side of Veterans Memorial Park.

Monday night, selectmen appointed Veterans Memorial Park caretaker Barney Dowd to the ADA committee.

Selectmen chairman Jim Fitzgerald said the skatepark unfortunately fell through the cracks without a functioning ADA committee.

Clifford said he would like to see a minimum of five residents on the committee.

He has scheduled a training session on ADA compliance for town employees the week of April 25. The building inspector and public works officials are expected to attend. Clifford said it's possible the state may grant variances eliminating the need for some of the modifications at the skatepark, but that would be decided at a future meeting of the board in consultation with the town's public works engineer.

For example, the ADA requires that all entrances be handicapped-accessible, but a waiver that would require just two of the entrances meet accessibility requirements could be granted.

Everything's coming up daffodils at the Uncle Bud Skatepark.

Skatepark Committee members said that a recent controversy is behind them and they are focused on putting the final touches on the park, which includes a planting session on Saturday, Oct. 16.

Several weeks ago, member of the Conservation and Preservation Committee accused the Skatepark Committee of using funds granted by the Community Preservation Act incorrectly. According to Town Administrator John Clifford, there was confusion because the Skatepark Committee had funding from three different soucres: the $26,000 CPA grant, private donations and donated labor and materials.

"With it coming from three different sources, not everything was invoiced correctly and questions came up," Clifford said. "It was really a problem with communication and bookkeeping."

Some members of the CPC thought that the Skatepark Committee had used the CPA grant money to pay for labor, which they had not, Clifford said.

"Any implications that any of the volunteers were getting paid or getting paid extra wasn't true," Clifford said. "People that have worked two to three times as much as they were paid for."

The Uncle Bud Skatepark was built predominatly by volunteers, with some reduced-cost or volunteer labor.

"We met with representatives of both committees at the skatepark and went over the paper work and the work that was done and agreed on a bookkeeping correction," Clifford said.

Now that they feel the questions regarding their financing have been cleared up, Skatepark Committee member Roy Kirby said he and his fellow organizers are looking forward to moving on and putting the final touches on the park. Last week, picnic tables with chess boards etched into their granite tops were installed around the park, which Kirby said he hopes kids will use for chess and checker tournaments when they want some down time from skate boarding.

On October 16, the Skatpark Committee is once again looking for help from the community, this time to help beautify the site by planting flowers, shrubs and trees around the park.

According to Caryn Dubois, who is organizing the planting, Kennedy Country Gardens in Scituate has offered the Skatepark Committee plants and planting materials at wholesale cost, and they have also donated a memorial garden that owner Chris Kennedy is planting in honor of his mother Linda, who passed away last year.

The memorial garden will be located along the Webster Street side of the Skatepark, and all around the park Dubois said she and her volunteers are planning on planting daffodils, day lilies along Webster Street also, and they will plant shrubs and a new tree along the other side of the park.

"We're basically beefing up what they already have there and adding to it," Dobois said.

Dubois said that does still need a number of volunteers. Anyone interested should contact her at home at (781)837-4986 before October 16. Volunteers will meet that Saturday at 9 am, weather permitting.

"We're really just looking for some bodies who are willing to dig some holes and play in the dirt for a day." Dubois said.