FLORENCE, Ky. — The owner of Grateful Skate Shop in Florence is shedding light on a dark situation at a local skate park. He started a petition to turn on lights at the park in the evening for the safety of skaters.

Alex Evans, owner of Grateful Skate shop, began skating when he was about 15 years old. He says skating allowed him to express himself in a way that other sports didn’t.

“I was just tired of the whole, you know, you make a mistake and you get taken out of the game. You’re not able to play,” said Evans. 

He says skateboarding promotes community. “As much as like skateboarding is individual… It’s also a community as well.”

The community prompted him to start a petition, asking the city to turn the lights on at the skate park.

“it’s a safety thing. I mean, the kids are going to keep skating there in the dark or they’re going to, you know, go skate somewhere else in the streets,” he said.

Other skaters say that skateboarding is a positive outlet that brings people together and they shouldn’t be forced to board in the dark.

“I think skateboarding is a really positive outlet for the community, so I think it’s important to have that all hours of the day,” said Coleman Huff.

“Like Alex said back at the shop, you know, it really is a melting pot and it gives these kids, you know, something to be excited about when they get out of school,” Jackson Jenkins added. 

Evans says with the help of his community and the support of the city, he thinks the lights will be turned on. “I think, you know, just lights that are already up, you know, all you have to do is turn them on,” he added.

The petition already has over 800 signatures with a goal of 1,000 and Evans says he will continue to enlighten the city on the needs of skateboarders.