After long wait, skate park approved

Andrew Glazer

COSTA MESA -- The City Council unanimously voted on Monday finally to

roll ahead with plans to construct a skate park, choosing a vacant lot on

Charle Street as its future site.

The city has discussed building a skate park for eight years. But it

hasn’t been able to find a location that satisfies both skaters and the

non-skating residents who would be living near the park.

The council set aside $250,000 for the project, which has recently

evolved from what was to be a 3,000-square-foot facility at Lions Park to

a nearly 10,000-square-foot park on Charle Street.

Citing noise concerns, homeowners near Lions Park convinced the council

to halt construction there earlier this year.

Since then, the council has considered TeWinkle Park, TeWinkle Middle

School, Costa Mesa High School, the Charle Street lot and Estancia High

School as possible locations for the skate park.

The property at the corner of Charle and Hamilton streets is in a

primarily residential and commercial area. Mayor Gary Monahan said the

location, which is isolated from other park areas, was not his first

choice. He said he preferred Lions Park, a larger community park, where

parents could watch their children skate.

“I don’t think the Charle Street location was that well thought out,”

Monahan said Tuesday. “Skaters are isolated. It’s not as safe, not as

open, and there’s not much else there.”

But Monahan said he voted for the Charle Street location because he

wanted to see a skate park up and running as soon as possible.

More than a dozen frustrated skaters and parents of skaters Monday told

the council to hurry up.

“Our kids have been promised this park since 1991,” said Craig Stevens,

whose son is a skater. “Now a lot of them have already gone off to

college. Our kids should be skating, not waiting.”After the council

finally approved the Charle Street location, skater Paul Schmitt wasn’t

“ollie-ing” for joy over the choice. But he did say he was happy plans

for the skate park were finally cruising forward.