WORCESTER – Three months after the city abruptly demolished the Worcide DIY skate park without warning, a site for a new park has not been identified as promised by city officials, leaving some skateboarders saying they’re not being taken seriously.

City officials denied the claim and say they're working diligently to find a location that's suitable for everyone involved. The city has proposed building a smaller skate park at Crompton Park. Skateboarders have another site in mind.

On July 13, the city spent $40,000 to dismantle the DIY skate park that had been located under two railroad bridges at the end of Washington and Plymouth streets for nearly a decade.

City officials said the park, next to a homeless encampment, had to be immediately demolished because it was “a disaster waiting to happen,” and posed a “serious life-safety hazard." Deputy Fire Chief Martin Dyer said when firefighters went to put out a trash fire at the skate park in July, they found “an enormous amount of combustible material,” including 50 to 75 discarded tires, "furniture and an incredible amount of solid waste under the bridge.”

But members of the skateboard community, including some who built the DIY skate park over the years, said city officials were disingenuous. They said for years, the city has known what was at the site, which is owned by the city, including the skate park, the homeless encampment and the piles of trash. City officials said while the city has known about the site for years, it was not until the fire that the extent of the danger was realized.

The Worcide skaters said they think the demolition was the city’s effort to clean up the area before finalization of a deal to bring the Pawtucket Red Sox to Worcester. The property is up against the proposed stadium site. City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. has apologized for the lack of communication with the people who built the park before it was destroyed. He and Mayor Joseph Petty and some others have expressed their commitment to working with members of the skateboard community to find a suitable site to rebuild the skate park.

Mr. Petty attended a recent fundraiser the builders of the skate park held at Ralph's Rock Diner on Grove Street, and he donated $100. The group plans to hold a spaghetti supper and skate jam from 5 to 9 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Miss Worcester Diner to raise money to help rebuild a skate park.

Meghan Dube, spokeswoman for the Worcide DIY group, whose husband, Jamie Dube, is one of the original builders of the park, said monthly meetings have been held with the city to try to identify a new location. City officials, including Mr. Augustus, Mr. Petty and the police and fire chiefs, attended the first meeting in July. But, she said, only one of the three city representatives designated to attend subsequent meetings has attended since, including meetings held in August and on Sept. 20. She said that only Che Anderson, a project manager for the city, has attended the meetings. Robert C. Antonelli Jr., assistant parks and recreation commissioner, and Raquel Castro, director of youth opportunities, were not at the last two meetings, she said.

Mr. Anderson, however, Wednesday, said he and the other two city officials were designated to "assist" with the project, not to attend every meeting. He said both sides have had different people attend meetings.

In addition to Ms. Dube, and her husband, Chris Mathews and John Powers, longtime Worcide skaters, attended the September meeting.

One of the things discussed was the city’s offer to build a skateboard park in Crompton Park. Ms. Dube said the park, which has a pool, as well as baseball, handball, basketball and tennis facilities, was zoned to incorporate a skate park in 2012, but it was never constructed. Since the city owns the property and it is specifically zoned for a skate park, it would be easier and quicker to rebuild there.

But the skaters want the new park to be no more than a mile from downtown and to have some type of overhang to shield them from the hot sun and rain. They also want to build a park to their specifications.

“What we’re looking for is to be accessible to local businesses,” Ms. Dube explained. “When we bring people into the city to use the skate park, people can turn around and go to local restaurants and be accessible to the train station.”

Mr. Mathews, 30, a Worcester native who has been skateboarding since he was a child, said he and his group have found a large piece of state-owned property off Grafton Street under Interstate 290, where they would like to build another DIY skate park. He said the group was told at the September meeting city officials would look into whether they’re interested in trying to buy the land from the state, or if they can lease it and then sublease it to the skaters.

In an Aug. 12 Telegram & Gazette article, Mr. Augustus said: “We’re committed to working together to find a suitable new location for a skate park that is agreeable to everyone involved.”

But Mr. Mathews said he is somewhat skeptical that if the city builds a small skate park in Crompton Park, it will also pursue the larger site that the skaters want. "It’s a little frustrating. I’m not feeling we’re being taken as a priority,” he said.

Mr. Anderson said city officials have been working diligently, holding several meetings with different department heads, including the Law Department, to determine what can be done legally. The city now plans to meet with the state Department of Transportation to determine what can be done about the group's proposal for the site off Grafton Street under I-290. The Worcide group, he said, is looking to build a skate park to its specifications. The city welcomes ideas and consultation from the group, but in the end, everything has to comply with certain state laws, he said.

"From the city side, we're looking at what we can legally be able to do," Mr. Anderson said. "They have an idea for a skate park and we're working diligently to accommodate the best we can."