Plan For Skate Park Unveiled

Thu., Dec. 21, 2000

By Trinity Hartman trinityh@spokesman.com

On Monday a group of Valley teens unveiled a plan for a Valley skate park at Mirabeau Point.

The architectural drawing shows skateboarding runs and ramps weaving through rocky terrain near the Valley YMCA.

Now, the seven students from East Valley Extension School have to pitch their plan to area businesses.

The students, under the guidance of teacher Peggy Estey, have worked almost three years to build a place for Valley skateboarders and in-line skaters. Now, the teens will start raising $305,000 needed to transform the paper plans into an actual skate park. They’ve already gotten the land for the park, plus a $10,000 grant from Ronald McDonald Charities.

“The children and youth need structure. They need places to be safe,” said 18-year-old Zac McGovern to a group of approximately 50 people at the Valley YMCA.

The Valley YMCA agreed to host the park on a hilly three acres just west of the new Y building at Mirabeau Point.

The skate park will resemble a ski resort when finished, said architect Jerry Ressa. He donated his time to help design the park, which he said has a unique design. There will be paved runs down the hill of varying difficulties. There will also be grassy seating on a nearby slope to watch the skaters.

The goal when designing it, said Ressa, was to keep as much of the natural feel to the park as possible.

The students have developed a business plan to raise money for the park. Including the Ronald McDonald grant, the group has approximately $15,000.

The nonprofit Chase Youth Commission has agreed to be the parent organization for the project. That will make donations to the skate park tax-exempt. Also, the non-profit Health Improvement Partnership has been involved.

Now that the design of the project has been finalized, students will begin approaching businesses, organizations and individuals to donate to the skate park.

“How can other kids get into this to help?” came the question from a student standing at the back of the room. He said a lot of kids in the Valley didn’t even realize plans for a skate park exist.

Estey said the core group of students involved in the project can make presentations to schools and groups. They’ll take all the help they can get from other teens in the community, she said.

The goal is to break ground on the project this summer.

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