MUKILTEO – Twin 7-year-old brothers Spencer and Conner Mitchell have been skating mainly in the family garage for two years.
“There was no place to go,” said Steve Mitchell, their father.
But on Saturday, Spencer and Conner wore helmets and held skateboards in damp and chilly weather waiting to try out Mukilteo’s new 19,000-square-foot skate park.
“Looks like fun,” Spencer said.
Conner said he hopes to practice skating there once a week. “Maybe?” he asked, looking at his father.
Hundreds of people celebrated the grand opening Saturday of the $700,000 skate park at the Mukilteo Family YMCA, the second largest in the state, only slightly smaller than a skate park on Orcas Island.
“It’s not going to be only Mukilteo. Skaters are going to come from all over the region,” said Elizabeth Erickson, chairwoman of the YMCA board of directors.
Many people worked hard to make the project a reality, Erickson said.
“This is going to change a lot of kids,” she said.
The new skate park reflects design ideas from skateboarders and community members who held brainstorming sessions in July 2003.
“From day one, YMCA volunteers and board members had a vision for something that was not just another skate park,” said Jeff Dunleavy, YMCA executive director.
With volunteers, the YMCA plans to provide programs such as camps to help skaters improve their skills.
Sean Davison, 14, was one of many teenagers who were excited about a place where they can hang out after school.
“I like to practice in self-expression,” Sean said of skating.
The park will be a safe place for children to learn, said Valerie Davison, Sean’s mother. YMCA staff will supervise and require skaters to wear safety gear.
“It’s a wonderful idea because kids skate all the time around high schools, and they do that with no helmets,” she said.
Reporter Yoshiaki Nohara: 425-339-3029 or ynohara@heraldnet.com.
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