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SKATE PARK
Mountain Youth Network, works to ll the gaps for youth in the community. Part of that work has included hosting skate trips for young people who enjoy skateboarding but have few places to do it.
According to the recently approved plan, the eastern Shelly Field will be recon gured to include a skate park, playground, stage, tennis and pickleball courts, concession stands, bathrooms, additional parking and more. e western Quinn Field will be upgraded but largely remain the same.
Recent re nements to the master plan include an enlarged 18,000 square-foot skate park, increased exible lawn space to allow for two youth soccer elds, a relocated playground closer to the pedestrian plaza, realigned southern access road to allow for an additional soccer eld and added pedestrianscale lighting – lighting directed toward to sidewalks and positioned lower than the roadways.
A pump track has been removed from the plan with the intention of looking for a separate location in the area. Additionally, the city is considering where it could share space to locate a half-court basket- ball court. e redesign project is expected to cost around $5 million. e Clear Creek Metropolitan Recreation District has identi ed potential funding sources, including grants from Great Outdoors Colorado and e Skatepark Project, formerly the Tony Hawk Foundation. Further, the district is considering coordinating promotional events at downtown businesses and roundup fundraisers at Safeway.
On June 26, Idaho Springs City
Hall was full of young people, eagerly awaiting the council’s decision. It didn’t go unnoticed.
Many were part of the Skate Board, a group of skateboard enthusiasts that’s been instrumental in championing the project by holding skateboarding demonstrations along Miner Street and organizing a GoFundMe fundraiser and a petition with more than 1,000 signatures.
“ is is really exceptional,” Mayor Chuck Harmon said in the meeting. “It’s impressive to see this many people this interested in a topic that I know council cares very much
“Don’t ever think that your presence doesn’t matter, because it absolutely does. We’re all people just like you, and we want the city to have amenities that we would love or we would have loved when we were kids,” Harmon added. e council approved the plan quickly with little discussion.
Once the crowd realized the plan to bring a skate park to Idaho Springs was o cially set in motion, there were high ves and cheers in excitement.
“We did it!” some members of the Skate Board exclaimed. ey moved outside of City Hall, where the group posed for a celebratory photo with skateboards in tow.
