January 13, 2006

Lake Cunningham skate park workshops see rough design take shape

A plan for a proposed 40,000 square foot regional skate park at Lake Cunningham is starting to take shape after two workshop meetings in late 2005 that saw skateboarders, designers and San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services staffers collaborate on a rough design.

A plan for a proposed 40,000 square foot regional skate park at Lake Cunningham started to take shape after two workshop meetings on Oct. 26 and Dec. 12. Local skaters, San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services staffers, as well as designers and consultants collaborated on the design, coming up with this rough sketch of the proposed park.

The two workshop meetings, on Oct. 26 and Dec. 14, were held with one goal in mind – find a suitable overall design for the proposed skate park. To that end, several Bay Area skateboarders were invited to participate in helping to create the overall design, teaming up with PRNS city staffers, members of chief skate park designer Beals Alliance Inc., as well as renowned skate park consultant Zach Wormhoudt, said Evelyn Velez-Rosario, Parks Manager of PRNS.

“I think the skaters were overwhelmingly pleased with the design,” Velez-Rosario said.

The land for the proposed skate park, which is part of the greater Lake Cunningham Master Plan, is currently undergoing an environmental analysis to research traffic impact and security access and control, among other geological concerns, Velez-Rosario said.

After completion of the environmental analysis, the writing of contracts relating to contract bidding and awarding will take place, a process that will last six to nine months, she added.

From there, Velez-Rosario said another two to three-month process will take place in the bidding and awarding phase of the overall plan. Velez-Rosario estimated the park to reach completion by the summer of 2008.

Another meeting to discuss the Lake Cunningham Master Plan and the skate park is set for Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Hank Lopez Community Center. For more information, call (408) 793-5552.