Skate park rolls closer to success

Deirdre Newman

Skate park advocate Jim Gray knew the skateboarding gods were smiling

on him when he heard two voices second a motion to name TeWinkle park

the primary site for a skate park.

Gray has been passionately leading skateboard enthusiasts in the

fight for a park for the past 10 years.

On Monday, the Planning Commission voted 4-1 to approve the primary designation as part of the TeWinkle Park Master Plan,

following the lead of Commissioner Bill Perkins. The approved site is

at the corner of Junipero Drive and Arlington Avenue.

While the vote represents a significant step for the skate park

contingent, it does not automatically mean that a skate park will be

built there. It’s still up to the City Council to budget enough funds

to build a park.

“My note to skaters is ‘be prepared,’” Gray said. “They will still

have to come out to the City Council [meetings] and keep moving this

forward, because if I were them, I wouldn’t expect it to go off

without a hitch.”

In fact, Chairman Bruce Garlich said there are other sites being

explored outside of TeWinkle Park.

A significant discussion will take place Oct. 13 when the council

holds a study session on a “matrix” of different kinds of skate parks

and where they could be built, Garlich added.

The Costa Mesa Bark Park Foundation, which also had its eye on the

coveted corner plans to appeal the decision, said Terry Tyson,

vice-chair of the foundation. Tyson said the decision is premature

since city officials are still studying other sites.

“They made a decision before they had all of the information

together to compare,” Tyson said, emphasizing that he does support

building a skate park somewhere else. “What they did is make a

decision to appease everyone.”

The corner of Junipero and Arlington had originally been

designated as primary use for open space and as an alternate site for

a skate park.

Commissioner Katrina Foley, who cast the lone dissenting vote

Monday, said she believes the best use for that corner is open space.

“It’s a lovely entry into the neighborhood -- a passive use area,

which is a component of the park, which is necessary,” Foley said.

“And [a skate park] would displace one type of use for another type

of use, as well as remove up to 25 mature trees.”

Foley tried to get her colleagues to consider a smaller skate park

between the proposed volleyball court and the tot lot, but couldn’t

muster any support.

In August, the Parks and Recreation Commission considered the Bark

Park Foundation’s bid for the land, but decided it was best as an

alternative site for a skate park.

Parks and Recreation Commissioner Byron de Arakal lauded the

majority of Planning Commissioners for exercising leadership on the

skate park issue.

“They showed, I think, some courage and real vision and did the

right thing,” de Arakal said. “Sometimes it’s really hard to lead ...

You can’t stand pat in the present at the expense of the future.”

In addition to the skate park, the Planning Commission approved

the TeWinkle Park Master Plan without the following items: a

pedestrian bridge over Junipero Drive; a community center at the

Davis School site; and a tot lot near the northeast ball field. It

approved making the half-court basketball courts regulation height.

* DEIRDRE NEWMAN covers Costa Mesa and may be reached at (949)

574-4221 or by e-mail at deirdre.newman@latimes.com.