ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) – Ben Larson steps out of his skate shop with a board in hand. In an alley across from his store, Small Skateshop, he glides back and forth – stopping to kick into the air.
“My cousin got me into it,” says Larson of his 19 years of skateboarding.
On Monday, Larson rode into unfamiliar terrain: municipal politics. At the City of Rockford’s Finance and Personnel Committee, the store owner led a group of skateboarders to advocate for renovations at Davis Park.
The Skatepark Stays
Since July, the $15.5 million makeover of the downtown park has concerned some city council members; those nerves inspired two lay overs at committee meetings as the City reorganized the proposed budget…