“Lincoln may not have had a skateboard, but he must have been thinking of the Kingston Skatepark when he said, You can’t please all of the people all of the time. A decision needs to be made now. If kids had raised $5,000 for a playground, a soccer field or a dog run, there would be no delay about including it in the northwest corner of Kole Kola Park. Everyone has a dog, right? The ball players would scoot over and share what little space they have with Fido, Pelé or little Bobby and his imaginary friends. But because the skatepark is a magnet for many adolescents, some with a rebellious streak, the idea is debated. All children, even those with a different rebellious attitude, are part of the community. It’s time for Kingston to be selfless and give some sense of community to rebels without a park. The kids will grow up, they may stop skateboarding, but chances are they’ll remember how Kingston made room for them and they will be better people because of it. The folks who bite their tongues as the concrete goes down will be better people, too. The truest form of sharing is giving something away that you want for yourself. And that kind of sharing is the truest form of community. Kole Kola Park is the anchor of Kingston activity. Norman Road and the site at the water sewage treatment plant (that may be a really cool park years from now, if the stars align just so) aren’t in the heart of Kingston. They are far-off places with down the road plans that are as uncertain as uncertain gets. So KCAC members, give up trying to please all of the people, and start seeking ways to include more of them at Kole Kola. And do it soon, before the children grow up and give up. “