KING CITY — Community members, especially youth who enjoy skating, are being asked for their input to determine the future of the King City Skate Park at the corner of San Antonio Drive and Bedford Avenue.
The City of King was recently awarded $177,000 by the state for improvements and is planning to use $150,000 for the skate park, with the remaining funds going to the Little League park. The city has partnered with American Ramp Company (ARC) from Missouri, which previously worked on the Gonzales skate park.
“The skate park has definitely been in need of repairs for a while,” said Andrea Wasson, the city’s recreation coordinator.
Wasson said the city hosted a design kickoff on Jan. 7, and ARC showcased different new obstacles that can be installed in the skate park to renovate it during the Jan. 13 virtual meeting, which took place over Zoom.
In addition to the meeting, the city is hosting an online survey to get public input on the design process. Anyone who is interested may complete a survey on design alternatives at americanrampcompany.com/king-city through Jan. 27.
“They’re going to ask people for input for things they would like to see at the park,” Wasson said. “The company is going to put together a mockup and then the community will be able to give their input on a final design.”
The goal is to get a skate park the public wants and which will be useful to local skaters. One consideration pitched by ARC is the inclusion of wheelchair-accessibility for the park.
“They have some really good ideas and will throw a bunch out there and hopefully the kids will be really involved,” Wasson said. “I’d love to see a half pipe in there.”
Wasson also noted the budget means the city can afford to do a complete revamp, but design elements would have to remain aboveground constructs.
“I know people want the sunken concrete bowls everywhere, I would love to be able to provide that, but those are so expensive,” she said.
The skate park, however, will be improved through the process.
“It’s not going to be what it is now,” Wasson said. “The technology in building these parks has advanced since the park was built. We hope that a lot of people will participate.”
The overall timeline estimates are for the design to be finished by the end of February and installation to begin soon after, with the park ready to reopen in its new design by early June. The reason for a park shutdown would be due to the removal of old obstacles and the installation time needed for new obstacles.
The skate park was originally closed during the Covid-19 stay-at-home orders first issued in March, but has since reopened to serve as a place for youth activity and fitness, Wasson explained.
“The kids need something to do and we’re encouraging everybody to follow the guidelines,” she said about the park, which continues to see popular use.
