EDMONDS – A month ago, skateboarders had no place in Edmonds.
They do now.
On Tuesday, the city plans to celebrate the grand opening of its new skate park, located behind the Edmonds Boys &Girls Club at 310 Sixth Ave. N. Skateboarders started using the park about three weeks ago.
“I’m very happy to finally see it in its completion,” said Alex Witenberg, 17, one of eight young people who helped plan the park. “I’m very happy for everyone who helped make this possible.”
Stairs, ramps, rails and edges fill the rectangular skate park, which sits within sight of the Edmonds Police Department.
Tyler Van Hoesen, 18, was at the park last week. He skated back and forth between a set of concrete ramps, pausing his board at the apex of each climb. A group of children stood and watched, then tried it themselves.
The park is a little small, Van Hoesen and other skaters said. They also think a roof to shield the park from rain also would be nice.
Still, the skaters were thankful to have a place to go.
“It’s a good park, I like it,” Van Hoesen said.
The Edmonds Police Foundation got the ball rolling on the new skate park with a $4,500 donation. The city gathered a group of local teens to help plan the park, said Renee McRae, recreation manager for Edmonds Parks &Recreation.
The teens worked with a design company to shape the skate park. To make up for the park’s small size, they tried to include obstacles that could be used for a variety of tricks, Witenberg said.
They presented the park plans to the city’s planning commission and the City Council. When faced with criticism – mostly concerns from neighbors about noise – they worked with the city to hire a consultant to do a noise study.
“Persevering through that at times was difficult,” Witenberg said. “It was negative action against something we value so much and take so much pride in.”
To answer concerns of critics, the park was moved away from nearby homes and built with a concrete foundation to make it quieter, said Daniel Taylor, 16, another member of the teen work group.
The hard work paid off, he said.
“It feels great. We put a lot of planning and work into the design of the skate park,” Taylor said. “I think the effort we put into it was definitely worth it.”
Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.
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