Skate park could jump barriers

Verizon proposal to sell access bridge to the city means youth recreation facility can move ahead, supporters say.YMCA officials are seeking to bridge an obstacle to the construction of a skateboard park at the Bark Park.

Verizon has agreed in a letter of intent to sell its bridge at the northern end of the Bark Park to the city for $100,000, which YMCA officials will present to the City Council at the Feb. 7 meeting. The bridge would provide access to the skate park YMCA proposes to build at the north end of the existing dog playground.

“The city put us in the dog park and then said, ‘Too bad you don’t have access,’” said attorney Larry Nokes, who has been involved from the beginning in the YMCA proposal to build the skateboard park in Laguna. “We have come up with a solution.”

Joint access to both operations is not a viable option, according Nokes. The Verizon bridge is well away from the access to the dog playground at the south end of the parcel, and the company would share the use of its bridge.

“Verizon would have an easement, but its vehicle traffic is so minimal it would not impinge in any way on the safety of the skateboarders,” Nokes said.

Initially, Verizon asked for a decision by December, but extended the offer until February.

“Access to this site was just one more roadblock that we have overcome,” Nokes said.

A skateboard park was first proposed for the Act V parcel in Laguna Canyon when relocation of the corporation yard was taken off the table by the City Council.

“Plans were drawn, and I still believe that was the best location,” Nokes said.

However, subsequent action by the council forced a change of the site to the Bark Park.

“An agreement was reached on that location at the request of the council, led publicly by Paul Freeman and Toni Iseman,” Nokes said.

Dog park users voiced vehement opposition, citing incompatibility of the two uses.

The council then suggested a second site change to the city property at Big Bend -- not the safest place for access onto Laguna Canyon Road.

“We got traffic studies for both locations to see which would be the preferred site,” Nokes said.

The Bark Park won.

“The next hurdle was access -- that came out of nowhere,” Nokes said. “Now that we have solved that, we are just waiting to see what new obstacle will be placed in the path of the project. If the city declines to negotiate with Verizon, YMCA will look at other possible options for acquiring the bridge.”

The YMCA proposes to build, staff and maintain a permanent skateboard park in Laguna. The group has a track record of success with such parks, starting with the one in Encinitas, which is considered a state-of-the-art site.

The recreation committee did a site search that eliminated Fred Lang Park, Aliso Creek Beach area, the tennis courts adjacent to the Festival of Arts and other sites, including Main Beach, which former Councilman Wayne Peterson supported.

Bruce Hopping, who supports skateboarding, would prefer to see a less elaborate plan than proposed by YMCA, one that could be easily reconfigured and possibly set up and moved periodically.

Plans for the skate park would have to be submitted to the planning commission and probably, Nokes said, to the design review board, both requiring public hearings.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Will the proposed skatepark on Laguna Canyon Road interfere with use of the nearby dog park? Write us at P.O. Box 248, Laguna Beach, CA, 92652, e-mail us at coastlinepilot@latimes.com or fax us at 494-8979. Please give your name and tell us your home address and phone number for verification purposes only.20051223irx16mncDON LEACH / COASTLINE PILOT(LA)The YMCA has been working to build a skateboard park at the north end of the Bark Bark. Verizon has agreed to sell the city a bridge, above, that could provide public access to the site.