MUKILTEO — Think twice before you invite Mukilteo YMCA, Ebeling, skate board director and nationally ranked skateboarder, decided to go for it.
“I’m going to throw this out,” she remembers saying. “It would be cool to have an indoor skate park.”
This despite already having a 19,000-square-foot outdoor skate park, one of the largest in the state.
While that skate park is used by hundreds of kids throughout the year, there’s a problem: rainy weather forces the park to shut down. In fact, rainy and inclement weather typically closes the park about 100 times a year.
“It literally makes it like an ice skating rink, plus it makes it hard for your feet to grip the board,” Ebeling said.
In June, the indoor skate park project got the green light to proceed. About two months later, the donation goal of $25,000 was reached.
“Kristin and I have not found another Y in the country with an indoor park,” said Cory Armstrong-Hoss, associate executive director for the Mukilteo YMCA.
The effort is called Operation 352 for the number of days that the indoor skate park is expected to be open, minus holidays and the branch’s annual one week closing.
The money raised for the project is being used to construct a ramp, walls and noise reduction panels for the indoor skate park. “There was concern about the noise it would generate,” Armstrong-Hoss said.
There’s only one missing piece to an on-time grand opening in December. Helping hands are needed, with skills as varied as those willing to work a paint roller to those who are expert at rough and finish carpentry.
Volunteers will work with YMCA facilities staff, including Russell Smith, who has built several other skate ramps, Armstrong-Hoss said.
The Y’s large outdoor skate park was first opened in 2005, he said. A survey last year found enthusiastic support for opening an indoor skate park.
Although at 2,500 square feet it will be smaller than the outdoor park, it will give the kids a place to be during rainy days, Armstrong-Hoss said.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
Help out
Volunteers are needed for the Mukilteo YMCA’s indoor skate park project, including those with rough- and finish-carpentry experience, and other tasks including painting and cleanup. Contact Kristin Ebeling at 425-493-2405 or kebeling@ymca-snoco.org
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