Planning starts for Lake Stevens skate park

LAKE STEVENS — Plans are moving forward — albeit slowly — to build a skateboard park in Lake Stevens.

They’re moving forward because the city, Snohomish County and the Rotary Club of Lake Stevens are all in favor of building one. It’s slow because the economic downturn put a lot of projects on the back burner for a number of years.

After helping build the Lake Stevens Senior Center and the local Boys &Girls Club, the Rotary had identified a skate park as the next project on its wish list.

“It’s something the kids want,” said Gary O’Rielly, the president-elect of the Rotary. Recent growth in the city meant there were more kids, requiring more services.

A 2013 survey of parks in Lake Stevens identified several key areas that called out for future improvement.

Approximately 30 percent of people surveyed believed skate parks were necessary in the city, and approximately 17 percent believed skate parks were the most important item on the list.

And nearly 15 percent of respondents said they visited skate parks outside the city. Currently there is no skate park in Lake Stevens, the closest being in Marysville and Snohomish.

Cavalero Hill Community Park, located along SE 20th Street in the southwestern part of the city, has been identified as a possible candidate for hosting a skate park. The 40-acre parcel is under-used, being home to just two off-leash dog runs, and there isn’t a nearby bus stop, something that would be important if the park is going to be attractive to teens too young to drive.

A master plan was completed in 2002 for the park, which is owned by Snohomish County but lies within Lake Stevens city limits. The park has since grown in size.

Right now there are plans for new housing across the street from the park, said City Administrator Jan Berg. Cavelero Mid High School is also within walking distance of the park.

The city’s parks survey pointed to southwestern Lake Stevens as one part of the city that could use more amenities.

“We’ve got some pretty good park elements throughout. It’s about how we enhance them,” Berg said.

“But there is an obvious lack of parks in that area,” she said.

Working with the city and outside groups such as the Rotary will be key toward making the skate park happen, said Tom Teigen, director of the Snohomish County Parks and Recreation Department.

“Together we make a much more compelling argument when it comes to grant money and federal dollars,” Teigen said.

The money issue is significant. The cost of a skate park can range from approximately $60,000 for a bare-bones park with portable ramps and pipes up to $500,000 for a skate park with poured concrete features. An example of the latter is the skate park the county built at Martha Lake Airport Park in Lynnwood in 2010, the first in the county’s system.

The Rotary is setting aside $15,000 for the project, O’Rielly said. He doubted that the Rotary could have raised independently the full amount to finance a skate park.

An added concern is access: SE 20th Street has two lanes at the park and adding a bus stop would disrupt traffic.

City Administrator Berg said she expects that there would eventually be a bus stop near the park, but probably after the city completes the second phase of its widening project for the SE 20th Street Corridor, which would add an extra lane as well as other amenities such as bike lanes, sidewalks and turn lanes as part of the larger Subarea Plan.

Chris Winters: 425-374-4165; cwinters@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Everett mall renderings from Brixton Capital. (Photo provided by the City of Everett)
Topgolf at the Everett Mall? Mayor’s hint still unconfirmed

After Cassie Franklin’s annual address, rumors circled about what “top” entertainment tenant could be landing at Everett Mall.

Everett
Everett man sentenced to 3 years of probation for mutilating animals

In 2022, neighbors reported Blayne Perez, 35, was shooting and torturing wildlife in north Everett.

Dorothy Crossman rides up on her bike to turn in her ballot  on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett leaders plan to ask voters for property tax increase

City officials will spend weeks hammering out details of a ballot measure, as Everett faces a $12.6 million deficit.

Starbucks employee Zach Gabelein outside of the Mill Creek location where he works on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 in Mill Creek, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Mill Creek Starbucks votes 21-1 to form union

“We obviously are kind of on the high of that win,” store bargaining delegate Zach Gabelein said.

Lynnwood police respond to a collision on highway 99 at 176 street SW. (Photo provided by Lynnwood Police)
Police: Teen in stolen car flees cops, causes crash in Lynnwood

The crash blocked traffic for over an hour at 176th Street SW. The boy, 16, was arrested on felony warrants.

The view of Mountain Loop Mine out the window of a second floor classroom at Fairmount Elementary on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County: Everett mining yard violated order to halt work next to school

At least 10 reports accused OMA Construction of violating a stop-work order next to Fairmount Elementary. A judge will hear the case.

Imagine Children's Museum's incoming CEO, Elizabeth "Elee" Wood. (Photo provided by Imagine Children's Museum)
Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett to welcome new CEO

Nancy Johnson, who has led Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett for 25 years, will retire in June.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.