Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part series on new skateboarding legislation.

Wait.

Stop.

Whoa.

Local officials and skaters believed that a recent state law, Senate Bill 774, banned skating on public skating parks without helmet, kneepads and elbow pads.

But Sen. Walter Dalton (D-Rutherford), who introduced the legislation, said the law isn’t exactly that cut and dry.

The new law stated that municipalities that followed the law received immunity from liability costs.

Dalton said that local skate parks didn’t have to change their rules. “If they were operating before this bill was passed and if they want to conduct it the way they did before. … If they want to assume the liability, they can operate the park the way they want to.”

But local skaters hoping that Greenfield Grind Skatepark will keep its current rules, which only mandates a helmet for protection, shouldn’t hold their breath.

“I just got off the phone with my supervisors. Basically, all cities are going to follow this policy,” said Chris Smith, who runs the skate park, after being faxed Dalton’s statements. “There’s not about going to be any local government and municipality that wants to assume more liability than they have to. They’re still going to have to look into it.”

Dalton, when told that a number of local skaters opposed the law, seemed surprised.

“There was very opposition to it. A few emails … the only objections were long after the bill was passed,” Dalton said. “It was patterned after a bill used in other states.”

Dalton submitted the bill as a pro-skateboarding measure.

“There were a couple of folks in my hometown of Rutherfordton who were instrumental in building this skateboard park in my home town. But liability costs were holding them back,” Dalton said. “They felt it was very positive to give them a venue to skateboard. Give them a safe place to skate. Get them off the parking lots and malls.”

But Smith, fearing a large drop in skaters at Greenfield Grind after the law takes affect Oct. 1, still frets about a decline in customers, but gets some solace that touring skaters for special events won’t be encumbered by extra pads.

“It’s kind of weird. It’s kind of strange for something like this to go into effect the way it does,” said Smith, who graduated from UNCW and now takes nursing classes on campus. “We can run special events like we have in the past. Our daily operation might change a bit.”