Enumclaw residents got their first glimpse of what a new skatepark could look like late last month.
Skatepark design and construction company Grindline presented the preliminary design Nov. 30; the meeting was far less attended than the first on late October, possibly because of the snowfall.
James Klinedinst, project manager, discussed public opinion and thoughts before showing off what his team came up with.
According to him, a survey garnered 111 responses, which he said was “a lot” for a small city like Enumclaw; most respondents (80%) said they wanted a new skatepark.
The survey asked people to identify what sort of amenities — or extra, non-skateable items — they would like to see at the park. Most people (62%) said they wanted a park heavy on skatepark features and light on amenities, and more than half of respondents indicated they would like the park to be lit.
This was one of the most popular amenities discussed during the previous community meeting. However, lighting is very expensive, Klinedinst said, and would likely require additional fundraising beyond the $3o0,000 the city of Enumclaw has set aside for this project in its 2023 budget.
The most popular transition features (basically, anything where the base of the skatepark becomes a ramp or raised/lowered surface) respondents wanted at the park were a flow bowl and a mini-ramp; the most popular street feature respondents said they wanted were curbs.
A FIRST LOOK
The skatepark design is not yet complete, but time is running out for those who want to give input; Klinedinst hopes to have the final design completed by the end of the year, with spring 2023 set aside for bids, fundraising, and construction.
To see some mockups, message Grindline your suggestions about the preliminary design, and receive project updates, head to tinyurl.com/ enumclaw-skatepark-project.
One of Klinedinst’s goals for this skatepark was to give it a feature that was unique to Enumclaw; Grindline hopes that will be achieved by constructing a skate-able Mount Rainier in the middle of the park, connected to a long vertical ramp that represents the Cascade Mountain Range.
In order to save some cash for additional features, Klinedinst hopes to utilize the old skate park instead of demolishing it, which would take money away from other portions of the project.
The old park would retain a few of its current features and be given a few more, but would be relatively untouched.
The new portion of the skatepark, though, could feature a raised, ramped surface that winds around the edge of the park. One edge currently features a stair-like elevation feature that increases height from 3 to 6 feet before dropping back down to the four-foot ramp.
A nearby corner is currently curved, like a slice of a enclosed skating bowl. In the middle of the pool pocket is what’s known as a “cake stair” for additional carving and grinding.
Another edge would be lined in brick, and the remaining edge features a bank extension to provide additional height to the ramp wall.
Finally, the base of the park, beyond Mount Rainier, also features a rail, a bench, and a small pump bump.
NEXT STEPS
It’s not yet known how far $300,000 will get when it comes to building the new skatepark, but Klinedinst hopes that saving money by using part of the current skatepark will allow more new sections to be constructed.
It is possible that the skatepark will have to be built in phases and even require additional community fundraising to complete the project. For example, night lighting — a much-hoped for amenity — will almost definitely not be included in the initial buildout due to cost; city officials and council members have expressed hope that local businesses could assist the project by donating work or materials, like they did for the new first responders monument benches outside city hall.
