EVERETT – Skateboarders in north Everett may have a skate park of their own next summer.
The parks department is proposing to spend $250,000 on a skate park at Wiggums Hollow Park. A skate park has been part of the Wiggums Hollow master plan since 2000, but the city delayed construction because of other priorities.
Now the skate park is moving toward the top of the city’s construction wish list. The City Council is scheduled to vote within the next few weeks whether to fund the project.
City Councilman Bob Overstreet said the heavy use of the city’s only skate park, at Walter E. Hall Park in south Everett, illustrates the demand for a new skate park.
Parks Commissioner Randy Ayers said Walter E. Hall is too far for many skateboarders in north and central Everett, especially those who don’t drive. They instead skate at places such as Everett High School or on city streets, places not designed for skateboarding.
“This would give them a constructive thing to do close to home,” Ayers said. “It also alleviates (the problem) that skateboarders go where they shouldn’t go. That’s good for them, and it’s good for people who get irritated by seeing them skate in places they shouldn’t be.”
Parks director Susan Francisco said the skate park would fill a niche for participants of an increasingly popular sport.
“It serves a population that’s usually not interested in team sports like baseball or basketball,” she said.
The skate park would complete the renovation of Wiggums Hollow, which began in 2000 and has cost about $860,000.
The parks department plans to recruit local skateboarders to help design the skate park, assistant parks director Hal Gausman said.
The plan is to build a modular skate park, which can be reconfigured easily, Gausman said. The Walter E. Hall park, which opened in 1999, is concrete.
Parks officials hope to eventually add skate parks to more city parks. Modular skate parks can be disassembled and moved.
“That keeps it fresh and challenging for kids,” Gausman said.
Another option would be to build a skate park that is part concrete and part modular. Modular skate parks are usually made with wood or steel frames and have a high-tech plastic surface.
If the council allocates the $250,000, the parks department hopes to finish construction of the park by next summer, Gausman said.
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