Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Md Troopers Assoc #20 & Westminster Md Fire Dept Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Thursday, May 20, 1999

19990519 Skateboard Park by Kevin Griffis, Carroll County Times Staff Writer

19990519 Skateboard Park by Kevin Griffis, Carroll County Times Staff Writer

First published in the
Carroll County Times Wednesday, May 19, 1999

Skateboard park rolling strong

By KEVIN GRIFFIS,
Carroll County Times Staff Writer

By all accounts, Westminster's new skate park has been an overwhelming success, but city officials say they aren't surprised with the demand for the facility.

Skaters are roundly happy with the park, but many want to see its street course expanded.

``The skate park has been received extremely well; we're overly pleased,'' said Ronald J. Schroers, supervisor of Westminster's recreation office.

The park has already sold 40 season passes, good April through October, at $40 a pop and there's been no shortage of daily users who have to pay for a $5 one-day pass, Schroers said.

Westminster Mayor Kenneth A. Yowan joked that the city should franchise the parks.

``Every time I talked with a group of youngsters, whether it was a scout group, a church group or whatever, the subject of a skate park seemed to come up,'' Yowan said.

``Skateboarding is popular and it's not going away. Now youngsters have a place to go and skate without being hassled, a place where they also have to wear the proper safety attire.''

But don't expect to see the 56-year-old mayor on the halfpipe anytime soon.

``I tried it once, 10 or 20 years ago, for about five seconds, and managed somehow to get off without breaking my neck,'' Yowan joked.

Although it's only been open since Friday, some of the problems people predicted the park would have - fights and skaters using loud, abusive language - have not materialized, and Schroers said he doesn't think they will. Even though the skaters often have to wait quite a
while for their turn on the equipment, Schroers said there appears to be an understanding among the park's users.

``There's such camaraderie out there,'' he said. ``These kids have a code of ethics. Yes, they all have to wait, but they're working this thing together.''

Westminster Police Capt. Randy Barnes confirmed Schroers assessment. He said the department has been making patrol checks on the facility and no problems have been reported.

Westminster police headquarters is located less than a block away from the park, on Locust Street.

Early Tuesday afternoon there were already 10 skaters riding the park's halfpipe and small street course. The street course is made up of two mini-ramps and a short, flat obstacle skaters can jump and grind the bottom side of their boards on.

Jesse Peltzer, 17, was one of the best on the course. On one of the two small ramps, he could flip the skateboard underneath him while he turned in the air and find the board with his feet to stop the spin and ride back down the ramp in the opposite direction.

``Yeah, it's pretty rad,'' Peltzer said about the skate park.

It gets a little crowded at times with ``little kids'' just learning how to skate, Peltzer said, but on Tuesday everyone waited politely for their turn.

Michael Cassell, 15, who arrived at the park with Peltzer, said he believes one of the ideas of the people who built the park was to keep people from skating on the streets, but there really isn't enough equipment on the street course to keep everyone off the streets.

To that end, Schroers said there is room at the park to add some equipment, and the street department can make up some ``commercial grade'' obstacles, like grindrails, for the kids to use.

If the interest warrants it, the park can also expand its fenced-in borders, he said.

Yowan said that probably won't happen this year, but the city will monitor activity at the park and, as with any recreational area, decide if the facility should be expanded.

Schroers said the fees have offset the cost of keeping a monitor at the park and said he's already improved the park to keep up with requests from skaters. He added a portable toilet, and on Tuesday he said he was going to have a soda machine installed.

Schroers also issues free passes to parents when their children buy a season ticket.

``I want to keep the parents involved so they can help monitor the park,'' Schroers said.

Right now, he has staffed the skate park with a full-time attendant, but he said during the summer, the facility will be staffed part-time and the attendant will split his time between the city playground and the skate park.

There have been a few injuries, Schroers said, but nothing much different than can be found at any other city recreational facility.

The park is insured by the city's insurance company, LEGIT.


Westminster Dept Recreation and Parks, Westminster Recreation and Parks Skateboard Park, People Natl Internatl Griffis – Kevin Griffis, Media journalists Griffis – see People Natl Internatl Griffis – Kevin Griffis

Tuesday, May 18, 1999

Councilperson Kevin Dayhoff May 18, 1999

Westminster Maryland Councilperson Kevin Dayhoff

May 18, 1999

Kevin, age 45, is a Westminster native who lives on Uniontown Road with his wife, Caroline Babylon.

He was elected to the Westminster City Council in May of 1999. He chairs the Solid Waste Management Committee, serves on the Public Improvements Committee, Personnel Committee, and is the Parks Board Liaison. 

Kevin, a self-employed artist who has been exhibiting art since 1981, has been in business for himself as a landscape designer, horticulturist, and nurseryperson for 25 years.

In the past, Kevin has taught design and horticulture classes at Carroll Community College and has served on a number of state and county advisory boards including; the Carroll County Landscape Manual Committee, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Forestry Board and the Carroll County Environmental Affairs Advisory Board.

He is an active member of Grace Lutheran Church, the Westminster Road Runners Club and a volunteer with the 4-H Therapeutic Riding Program of Carroll County.

His term expires in May 2003. If you wish to contact Councilperson Dayhoff, you may send him an email or a fax (410-876-0299).  If you wish to call or make an appointment to see him, please call 410-848-2522.

++++++
Kevin Dayhoff for Westminster Common Council
Westminster Municipal election May 14, 2019
Authority Caroline Babylon, Treasurer.

Carroll County Times: www.tinyurl.com/KED-CCT
Baltimore Sun Carroll Eagle: http://tinyurl.com/KED-Sun

Facebook Dayhoff for Westminster: https://www.facebook.com/DayhoffforWestminster/
Facebook: Kevin Earl Dayhoff: https://www.facebook.com/kevindayhoff

Dayhoff for Westminster: www.kevindayhoff.info
Dayhoff Soundtrack: www.kevindayhoff.net
Dayhoff Carroll: www.kevindayhoff.org
Kevin Dayhoff Time Flies: https://kevindayhoff.wordpress.com/  

Wednesday, May 12, 1999

Walking Running or riding a bicycle

Monday, May 10, 1999

19990510 City of Westminster Statement Or Return Of Election

19990510 City of Westminster Statement Or Return Of Election with notes

City of Westminster Statement Or Return Of Election

May 10th, 1999

The following "Statement or Return of Election" was presented by Chief Election Judge, Nancy A. Smelser:

"STATEMENT OR RETURN OF ELECTION

To The Mayor and Common Council of Westminster:

We the undersigned Judges and Clerk of the Biennial Municipal Election, held in the City of Westminster, Maryland, on Monday, May 10, 1999, (between the hours of 7 o'clock A.M. and 7 o'clock P.M.) for the election of three Common Council Members to serve as members of the Common Council for the City of Westminster for four years commencing on the Third Monday of May, 1999, do hereby certify that the polls were opened at 7 A.M. and closed at 7 P.M. on this 10th day of May, 1999, and that at said election the whole number of votes cast was 456 and of that number those cast for the candidates for the respective offices was and is as follows:

FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS NUMBER OF VOTES

Suzanne P. Albert 284 or 62% of the vote

Kevin Dayhoff 348 or 76% of the vote

Gregory Pecoraro 286 or 63% of the vote

Frank Wagner 242 or 53% of the vote

And it appearing that Suzanne P. Albert, Kevin Dayhoff and Gregory Pecoraro for Common Council received a majority of the votes cast, we the undersigned Judges and Clerk of the election, do hereby certify and proclaim that the aforenamed persons were duly and fairly elected to their respective offices for four years.

And it further appearing that Suzanne P. Albert, Kevin Dayhoff and Gregory Pecoraro were the three candidates who received the highest number of votes cast for Common Council we do hereby declare that they will hold office for the four years.

And we do further certify that the above statement is correct in all and every respect, and that notice has been given to the candidates of their election.

Witness our hands this 10th day of May, 1999
s/ Nancy A. Smelser
s/ Fred L. Plunkert
Chief Judges

19990510 City of Westminster Statement Or Return Of Election

City of Westminster Statement Or Return Of Election

May 10th, 1999

The following "Statement or Return of Election" was presented by Chief Election Judge, Nancy A. Smelser:

"STATEMENT OR RETURN OF ELECTION

To The Mayor and Common Council of Westminster:

We the undersigned Judges and Clerk of the Biennial Municipal Election, held in the City of Westminster, Maryland, on Monday, May 10, 1999, (between the hours of 7 o'clock A.M. and 7 o'clock P.M.) for the election of three Common Council Members to serve as members of the Common Council for the City of Westminster for four years commencing on the Third Monday of May, 1999, do hereby certify that the polls were opened at 7 A.M. and closed at 7 P.M. on this 10th day of May, 1999, and that at said election the whole number of votes cast was 456 and of that number those cast for the candidates for the respective offices was and is as follows:

FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS NUMBER OF VOTES

Suzanne P. Albert 284 or 62% of the vote

Kevin Dayhoff 348 or 76% of the vote

Gregory Pecoraro 286 or 63% of the vote

Frank Wagner 242 or 53% of the vote

And it appearing that Suzanne P. Albert, Kevin Dayhoff and Gregory Pecoraro for Common Council received a majority of the votes cast, we the undersigned Judges and Clerk of the election, do hereby certify and proclaim that the aforenamed persons were duly and fairly elected to their respective offices for four years.

And it further appearing that Suzanne P. Albert, Kevin Dayhoff and Gregory Pecoraro were the three candidates who received the highest number of votes cast for Common Council we do hereby declare that they will hold office for the four years.

And we do further certify that the above statement is correct in all and every respect, and that notice has been given to the candidates of their election.

Witness our hands this 10th day of May, 1999

s/ Nancy A. Smelser

s/ Fred L. Plunkert

Chief Judges"