Boarders get the 411 on skate park
Deirdre Newman
City staff members are keeping the lead skate park proponents in the
loop as plans progress to build a skate park at TeWinkle Park.
The skate park was approved by the City Council in September after
years of debate.
On Tuesday, Public Services Director Bill Morris and Steve Hayman,
the city’s director of administrative services, met with skate park
advocates Jim Gray and Paul Schmitt. Councilman Mike Scheafer and
Parks and Recreation Commissioner Byron de Arakal also participated.
The goal of the meeting was to let Gray and Schmitt know what
direction the city is taking on the design of the park. That
direction is toward the past.
Staff members are dusting off the plans for the failed Charle
Street-Hamilton Street plans. They have done a complete review of
these plans and are expecting to present the idea of modifying them
for TeWinkle Park to the City Council in January.
Gray said he is pleased with the progress the city is making so
far.
“We’re happy to see the city is following through as they claimed
they would and is working on making sure the kids do get a skate park
and it is high on their priority list,” he said. ‘I don’t feel
they’re doing anything to stall. They’ve been doing their homework
trying to get things lined up.”
The council first approved a skate park for the corner of Charle
and Hamilton streets in December 1999 and set aside $250,000 for the
project. But in February 2001, another council killed the project
because the majority didn’t think it was the best location for a
high-quality skate park.
The Charle-Hamilton plans call for one skating area of about
10,000 square feet for experienced skaters with some bowl areas that
run as deep as 5 to 6 feet and equipment for skaters to grind on,
Morris said. Another 3,000 to 4,000-square-foot skating area would be
for beginners with a less intimidating design, Morris added.
“There’s hopefully something for everyone,” Morris said. “It’s a
good cross section, a basic skate park that everyone can enjoy --
beginners through experts.”
The shape of the site at TeWinkle provides more flexibility for
design, Morris said. It’s a larger area, no trees will be removed and
it will hopefully include a restroom that will serve that area of the
park, not just the skaters, he said.
Tweaking the old design will save time and potentially, money,
Morris said.
Scheafer said he likes the idea of reviving the Charle-Hamilton
design.
“I think the one at Charle-Hamilton was set up as a good plan,”
Scheafer said. “And I think with some tweaking and changes, it’ll
turn into a real nice park.”
If everything goes well, construction could start in the fall or
early winter of 2004, Morris said.
Since the city wants to keep all stakeholders up to date, it will
also be meeting with the Mesa del Mar Homeowners Assn., Morris said.
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