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Mostly Cloudy City unveils designs for new skate park
Fast-track project to break ground next month and be completed by summer
The city released the design renderings for a new skate park last week, and construction of the new bowls, handrails and ramps is set to begin in the next few weeks.
The structure, to be built near the Recreation Center, was originally scheduled for the 2015-16 fiscal year but was fast-tracked by the City Council last December. Crews are slated to break ground in May, with plans to have the park open sometime this summer.
Spohn Ranch, a California-based skate park design and construction firm, was hired by the city in December to complete the project utilizing input gathered from Long Beach residents at two public engagement meetings held earlier this year.
Local skaters answered a series of questions to determine what elements should be included in the park and what skating styles it would accommodate. City officials said that the design would be accessible to skaters of all skill levels.
“The new skate park will be an excellent addition to our city’s recreation facilities," said City Council President Len Torres. “The final design looks great, and I am looking forward to the project’s completion.”
The new park will feature an amoeba bowl, a combination horseshoe bowl and mini-ramp, a speed hump and numerous handrails and stairs. It will be a roughly 15,000-square-foot L-shape, more than doubling the size of the city’s existing skate park, which was significantly damaged by Hurricane Sandy and which many in the skateboarding community have called outdated.
That park is on the bay side of Magnolia Boulevard, but the new park will be closer to the Recreation Center, just east of the outdoor roller hockey rink along the bay.
“As a parent of two active children growing up in Long Beach, and someone who rides skateboards with his son, I'm thrilled to see that projects like this are a priority for our community,” City Councilman Anthony Eramo said in a statement.
