No new skate park for Capitola

A topic that’s been dividing residents in the city of Capitola may now be finished.

Monday a special city council meeting was held to decide whether a new skate park would be added to the city’s “Monterey Park.”

The 6,000 square foot skate park that would’ve been built was to have been the city’s second, one created with younger skaters in mind. Though many wanted that park, others close to where it would be built were against it.

Capitola’s Planning Commission did approve the park last year but a ruling by the Santa Cruz County Superior Court said the process to approve it wasn’t done correctly.

This time around though the city could not reach a vote to approve the project’s environmental impact report. The report was needed if the project was to move forward. The attorney representing those who wanted the skate park says they did work hard to reach an agreement with those against it.

“They listened with them, they met with them, they reduced the size of the skate park from 9,000 to 6,000 square feet they’ve put up a sound wall,” said Colin Pearce the attorney for the Skate Park Applicants.

The attorney representing the group that was against the park called Friends of Monterey Park says the group isn’t against youth recreation. The group did feel that Monterey Park was not the right choice for the skate park.

“The other park was a better park and actually it’s a larger park and it serves more people so it was actually a better park even though the current proponents of this park oppose that park,” said Bill Parkin, attorney for frineds of Monterey Park.

The attorney for those who wanted the park told me his clients would still try to get a new park for younger skaters in Capitola.