Riverhead skate park to be dedicated in memory of skater who changed its future through advocacy

Riverhead Town will dedicate the skate park at Stotzky Park in memory of a recently deceased skater who more than a decade ago changed the minds of Town Board members — and the future of the skate park — through the power of advocacy.

Wesley Dean Ackley, who died on Jan. 24 at age 27, wrote a letter to the Town Board in January 2010 after he read in a newspaper that the board intended to increase the fees for the park — from $50 to $100 annually for people who were not Riverhead residents. Ackley, then 14, read his letter aloud in front of the board on Jan. 20, 2010, arguing that a “higher fee would mean less kids going because of the increased prices, and more kids on the street skateboarding” and advising the board on what they could do to improve activity at the skatepark. 

“I am hoping you take some of my suggestions and turn them into actions,” Ackley said, according to the meeting minutes.

The ninth grader’s letter captured the attention of the board members and changed their minds, and the resolution increasing the fees was tabled that meeting. (Read the minutes of the meeting here.) The fees for the park were later eliminated entirely based on Ackley’s advocacy, Recreation Superintendent Raymond Coyne said.

Town Board members unanimously agreed on Thursday to dedicate the skate park to Ackley.

“I think the world needs more role models and we need more inspirational stories,” Council Member Ken Rothwell said. “And I think that’s what we get when we listen to the story of Wesley Dean Ackley.”

The Town Board took action after receiving a letter last week from Riverhead business owner Lisa Drozd and former Deputy Supervisor Jill Lewis telling the story of Ackley’s courage speaking in front of the board. They wrote that the skate park was “a part of his heart” and inspired media coverage that gave Ackley “a tremendous source of pride.” 

“We are just blown away and touched by the proposal that was sent in and the reaction by the board in general to accept it and move forward with it,” Ackley’s mother, Christine, said in a phone call Thursday. “Really, there are no words. There really just are no words. We’re just so touched and I’m blown away.”

Christine said his experience in the Town Board room was a “huge life lesson” for Ackley. 

“It struck the chord of, if you see something that you think isn’t right, you can speak up and have some change. You can be part of the process of changing something,” Christine said. “”It was the power of the pen. You never know. Write the letter, go speak.”

Ackley’s advocacy got huge media attention, including articles in Newsday and interviews for News 12, Christine said. It was a “big eye opener for him” about how something thought to be so small can have a big impact.

Rothwell, who brought the idea of dedicating the park to Ackley to the board at today’s work session, recounted the events of the 2010 meeting. He said Ackley’s story touched his heart. “So this young man at the time, when he was 14, kind of changed the course of how we look at recreation, what our expectations are at the town parks,” he said.

“I think that the skateboard park today is what it is because of Wes,” Rothwell said. He thanked Drozd and Lewis for submitting the idea to rename the park in Ackley’s memory.

The rest of the board agreed. “I think this is a great honor for us to be asked to do this and I 1,000% agree that this should be done,” Council Member Tim Hubbard said. “And his name will live on through the park, and what he fought for, and I think that’s the best thing we can do for him and his family, without a doubt.”

Coyne said he could remember the day that Ackley spoke his mind. “He was very articulate, but very respectful. He met with me a few times, as well, so I was shocked and saddened to hear this passing,” Coyne said. 

Council Member Bob Kern suggested that the town share Ackley’s story somewhere within the park “so people can read that and see how he made a change.”

Christine Ackley said her son continued his skateboarding hobby throughout his college years and after he graduated, traveling with friends around the country to skate and connect with different people. 

“It stayed with him. It wasn’t ever something that ever faded from his life,” Christine said. 

Ackley, who grew up in Baiting Hollow, graduated from Riverhead High School in 2013 and subsequently graduated from the New York City College of Technology with a degree in human services. He worked for Acacia Health Network in Brooklyn, according to Drozd and Lewis’ letter.

Ackley was diagnosed with aggressive rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer that affected his spine, shortly after he graduated college, according to the letter. The surgery to remove the tumor left him unable to walk, but he recovered through physical therapy and “walked the hilly roads of Oak Hills, the 120+ steps up and down to the beach.”

“He was determined to beat this cancer and he did it with a smile. That smile lit up our community. He never gave up hope,” the letter reads. 

They also write how Ackley invented a word, “dexus,” that was submitted and accepted into the slang word and phrase website Urban Dictionary. The work means “extreme freshness, undefined mysterious style and swagger.”

Drozd and Lewis, in their letter, write that they hope Ackley’s story will inspire the next generation to make a difference through their voices. “We are pretty sure Wes would consider this to be a dexus occasion if this happens and we know it would continue to be an excellent lesson in civics for those that follow in Wes Ackley’s footsteps.”