KING CITY — American Ramp Company has fabricated new skate park components that began installation Thursday, causing a shutdown of the existing skate park along San Antonio Drive and Bedford Avenue for a couple weeks while it is revamped.
The total cost for the project is $150,000, which the city obtained $177,000 for with Prop 68 grant funds, and will use the remaining $27,000 for renovation at the Little League Park.
“Public input was the No. 1 priority for this new project,” said Andrea Wasson, the city’s recreation director.
A Zoom workshop was held Jan. 13 with 12 participants. An additional 40 community members responded to online public surveys to provide input on which features they wanted to see in an updated park.
“All of this information was compiled and a design was based on the public’s input,” Wasson said.
King City Parks and Recreation Commission approved the new design during its February meeting, followed by approval from the City Council on March 9.
Wasson said there was a wide range of community participation, mostly skaters and people of all ages, but several parents, as well.
She noted the park is designed for skateboards, but said it would also be possible to see scooters and roller skates. American Ramp Company confirmed the city plans to consider making the finished park “all-wheel friendly” and be open to guests with disabilities.
The new design is all steel, a shift from the prior wood components, and will also have seamless transitions between features. Two rails from the old park will be reused in the new design. The plans call for a half pipe and quarter pipes, bank ramps and more decking.
The half pipe will be laid out in a different configuration with a top plaza deck and a stair set. The bank ramps will lead skaters into a set of quarter pipes.
There will also be freestanding features that are low-speed/low-impact, such as three different styles of grind rails and a manual box.
Six solar-powered lights will also be added to increase evening safety.
“There will also be a beginning area for newer skaters and a more advanced area,” Wasson said. “We will also be adding solar lighting to the park, which is being funded by the King City Community Power and a donation by Pilot Power Group.”
The park’s shutdown is planned to be as short as possible for installation, which is already ahead of previously announced schedules.
“It’s a popular park and we want the skaters back in it very quickly,” Wasson said. “We are hoping a less-than-three-week window of closure, with the park reopening the end of May.”
She said the city plans to host an official grand opening for the redesigned park on International Skateboard Day, June 21, and is determining how to do so in accordance with pandemic health guidelines.
