The City of Centralia is inviting skaters, families and community members to participate in a Skaters Open House from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 7, at Fort Borst Park Kitchen No. 2 to help guide future renovations to Fuller’s Twin City Skate Park at Rotary Riverside Park.
The open house will provide an opportunity for skate park users and stakeholders to share their preferences, priorities and ideas for skate park improvements.
Feedback gathered during the event will be used to develop a concept plan that will support the city’s application for a future state recreation grant aimed at replacing aging skate park features and improving safety and usability, according to a release from the city.
The city has been working closely with Twin City Youth and other partners to respond to community concerns about the condition of the skate park and to pursue long-term solutions. Regular maintenance is no longer sufficient, according to the city, and full replacement of key features is being explored through external grant funding.
The open house will be informal and welcoming, with snacks and refreshments provided by Twin City Youth. City staff will be on hand to listen, answer questions and discuss next steps in the project timeline.
The city encourages community members who skate, bike, scooter or otherwise use the skate park to attend.
A September Change.org petition called on the city to take action to improve and restore Fuller’s Twin City Skate Park located at Rotary Riverside Park. The 44,000-square-foot skate park opened in 2004 and was renovated in 2015.
According to the petition, which was started by Alyssa Webster and signed “Twin City Youth,” many features of the park are broken, warped or missing altogether.
For example, petitioners said the few remaining ramps are not designed for skating, are poorly placed, mismatched and are too tall to skate properly, which can make them dangerous for beginners. Petitioners also wrote that a clean, safe and updated park will provide a positive outlet for athletics and activity, a safe space for youth to gather — especially those with no other safe spaces — and community pride in a multi-use public space.
Amy Buckler, Centralia deputy city manager and parks director, agreed with the petition’s goals of repairing surface damage to ramps and rails, removing unsafe features, and restoring features specifically designed for skateboarding. She told the Centralia City Council during a Sept. 9 council workshop that the skate park was “reaching the end of its useful life” and that the city was looking at Recreation and Conservation Office grants to fund renovations.
City staff and councilors met with a group of local skateboarders for a meeting at the skate park in October to discuss replacing ramps and filling cracks in the concrete to improve the park for those who use it.
Buckler told the group that the city’s goals were not to renovate the park but to retrofit it. For more Chronicle reporting on the Oct. 8 gathering, visit https://tinyurl.com/yb4xe39p.
