By Staff
Leada Gore, Hartselle Enquirer
A group of teenaged bicycle riders are looking for their own place in Hartselle.
"Basketball players get their courts and baseball players have their fields. Where can we ride?" Dustin Brown said.
Brown and five other teens appeared before Hartselle's City Council Tuesday night, asking the city to look for a place where they can ride. Brown said there are riding areas at Sparkman Park, but they aren't usable when it rains. He said police run the group off when they ride in other areas.
"We are told to get out of the parking lots and out of the street. What do you want us to do?" Brown asked the council.
Council members were quiet on Brown's request but Mayor Dwight Tankersley said damage to parking lots and sidewalks has prompted the bicycling crack down.
"The only way to protect private property is to make sure the bicycles and skateboards aren't there," Tankersley said.
Several neighboring cities, such as Madison, have parks or areas set aside for bicyclists and skateboarders.
In other council news: