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.