Community weighs in on skatepark plan

Jun. 10—Meridian residents and skate enthusiasts weighed in on a plan to build a city skatepark Wednesday in a community meeting with city officials and Grindline Skateparks designers.

The city has contracted with Grindline to design the skatepark and develop specifications for construction bids.

Grindline CEO Matt Fluegge, who facilitated Wednesday's meeting, said the city has selected four sites for the future skatepark, with pros and cons to each site.

Kate Griffin Ball Park, Fluegge said, has a large open area and is close to downtown, but the land is not owned by the city, and being next to the vacant school building could draw more crime to the park.

"It's next to an abandoned or closed down school and could possibly promote unfavorable behavior within that small area," he said.

The second site, Sowashee park, has multiple sites where a skatepark could potentially go, multiple trees for shade and is visible from the street. The park, however, is not accessible to residents without cars, and a skatepark would likely mean moving or destroying the park's walking path.

At Highland Park, Fluegge said, a skatepark could easily replace the tennis courts, which are already slated to be removed, and the park already has lots of amenities for skaters to use.

In the past, however, Highland Park was offered as a site for local skaters to build their own DIY skatepark, and nothing happened.

Fluegge said the final site, Ben Arthur Davis Park, has a large open area, is close to downtown and the grade of the land is best suited for a bowl, which a survey conducted by Grindline showed was heavily favored by local skaters. The park, he said, also has existing security lights, is highly visible from 14th Avenue and has few resident nearby who could potentially be disrupted by the park's traffic.

On the other hand, Fluegge said, Ben Arthur Davis Park has very few amenities and no restrooms.

Of the sites selected, Ben Arthur Davis Park was a clear favorite among the more than two dozen residents who attended the meeting. However, the residents also requested the city explore several plots owned by the county at the Old Village Fair Mall.

Collinsville resident Mike Couch said his main concern is making sure the site and design was incorporated into the city's existing amenities.

"I think this a great, huge idea, but if we just stick a concrete pad somewhere, it's not going to work," he said.

Community Development Director Craig Hitt said the city would approach the county to see if an arrangement could be made for the 22nd Avenue property.

Once a site is selected for the park, Fluegge said Grindline would get to work incorporating feedback from the meeting and survey to design a park reflecting Meridian's goals. A preliminary design would then be presented for more feedback, final changes made and construction documents drawn up, he said.

"We'll take all that information back to our headquarters in Seattle and come back out here probably late July with the initial conceptual design to present back to you guys and get feedback from," he said.

The city is hoping to build a 10,000 square foot skatepark, which would cost about $60-$65 per square foot, Fluegge said. The total project, he said, would cost between $650,000 — $700,000.

"It sounds like splitting into two phases where phase one could be operate and be functional on it's own, and then both the two together as well," he said.

By splitting it into two phases, Fluegge said the community would only to need raise enough for 4,000 square feet to get a functional skatepark. Then, he said, fundraising efforts could build on the first phase to build the rest of the project.

If, in the future, Meridian finds itself wanting to expand the skatepark to host regional events or competitions, Fluegge said additional phases could be added on as well.