Skaters and cyclists look to ramp up efforts to redesign the 17-year-old Sequim Skate Park in Carrie Blake Park.
Leaders of The Sequim Youth Skate Park Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, held an informal meeting on Oct. 6 at the skate park to talk future plans and accept a $2,000 donation from the TeamInspire Project started by Emblem3.
Foundation leaders and local skaters hope to raise up to $750,000 over five years through donations and grants to add multiple elements and fix the existing park at 202 N. Blake Ave.
Tim Stanford, vice-president for the foundation, said they are considering the project that approximately doubles the existing riding space in phases now.
“We can probably get something sweet with at least $100,000,” he said.
President Mark Simpson said they’ve raised about $6,000 so far while applying for various grants including through the Tony Hawk Foundation.
Simpson said with construction underway on moving Carrie Blake Park’s entrance between the skate park and Trinity United Methodist Church they look at this as a good opportunity to begin seeking more help.
“We know Carrie Blake Park is a doorway to Sequim and we want (the skate park) to be a good representation,” Simpson said.
The park caters to riders of all ages and styles including scooters, bicycles, rollerbladers, and skateboards.
Simpson said the park’s current condition is geared more for bikes.
“Bikers love this but it’s really rough for skaters,” he said. “In the winter we can see the water seep through and there are cracks everywhere.”
The foundation received a design for the proposed skate park from Grindline Concrete Skatepark Design and Construction of Seattle last year, which expands the existing park to the west where a new temporary trail was recently installed.
Stanford said the foundation created different sponsorship opportunities to fund different parts of the skate park ranging from naming rights of the park at $100,000 to sponsoring a skate bowl for $25,000 to $250 for a name on a logo and sign or $100 for a name on a sign.
Breezie Ceballos, president of TeamInspire Project, said her brothers Wesley and Keaton Stromberg of the band Emblem3 wanted to support the skate park effort because they spent a lot of time here and it’s a positive outlet for local youth.
The brothers’ nonprofit, Ceballos said, seeks to inspire youth to have a purpose and promote positive social change.
Wesley Stromberg said via email that he was happy people are looking to update the skate park.
“(It) was like a second home to me growing up,” he said.
“It’s so important for the kids of Sequim to have a hobby … it keeps kids out of trouble and exercising. I am so proud that with the help of my band Emblem3 and my sister and TeamInspire we are able to contribute a donation.”
While no city funding is currently designated for the park, the city’s Parks, Arbor and Recreation board approved the concept design last fall and an expansion is included in the city’s Carrie Blake Master Plan.
Those seeking to support the park can go to the group’s Facebook page under “Sequim Youth Skate Park Foundation” and/or send tax-deductible donations to “Sequim Youth Skate Park Foundation, attention Tim Stanford, P.O. Box 153 Carlsborg, Wash., 98324.”
Reach Matthew Nash at mnash@mnash@sequimgazette.com.
This conceptual design of the Sequim Skate Park by Grindline Skatepark Design and Construction could double the existing park. Leaders of The Sequim Youth Skate Park Foundation seek donations to help fix and expand the park because its condition continues to decline, they said. Submitted graphic
