New Lopez Island Skatepark

SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA. November 25, 2024 – San Juan County Parks, Recreation, and Fair is pleased to re-open the Lopez Island Skate Parks after an extensive renovation. The new, approximately 6,300 sq ft skatepark will officially be opened on Sunday, December 1 at noon. The County invites any and all skaters to attend with their favorite set of wheels to christen the new park.

Where: Lopez Island Skate Park near the Lopez Center: 204 Village Rd, Lopez Island, WA 98261

When: Sunday, December 1, 2024 at noon (12:00pm)

Project Background

In the summer of 2022, the San Juan County Council awarded $600k for the replacement of the existing Lopez Village Skatepark, managed by the San Juan County Parks, Recreation, and Fair Department. The previous plywood skate park was a generous donation from the Richlite/Skatelite company in 2013. Because our environment is wet and the park is not covered, the support system began to decay, fasteners were not holding, and the park began to fail.

Grindline Skateparks, Inc., one of the top, cast-in-place skatepark design and construction companies in the country having built or designed over 400 skateparks worldwide, completed the project in late November.

The new skatepark is a cast-in-place, concrete skatepark that will extend the life of high-quality skating on Lopez Island for the next generation. The Parks & Fair Department invites the public to join the celebration of a new community asset for years to come!

Contact: Gabrielle Conway, Projects and Grants Coordinator (Parks & Fair Dept.), gabriellec@sanjuancountywa.gov

About San Juan County’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Fair

San Juan County’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Fair oversees public parks on all four ferry-served islands, manages camping, and hosts the San Juan County Fair. The department offices are located at 849 Argyle Avenue, Friday Harbor, WA 98250. For more information about San Juan County’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Fair, visit www.sanjuancountywa.gov/430/Parks-Recreation-Fair.

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SAN JUAN COUNTY, WA. June 20, 2024 – San Juan County Parks, Recreation, and Fair is pleased to begin construction for a new skatepark on Lopez Island. Construction will begin in early July and the new, approximately 6,300 sq ft skatepark is estimated to take four months to complete.

Project Background

In the summer of 2022, the San Juan County Council awarded $600k for the replacement of the existing Lopez Village Skatepark, managed by the San Juan County Parks, Recreation, and Fair Department. The existing plywood skate park was a generous donation from the Richlite/Skatelite company in 2013. Because our environment is wet and the park is not covered, the support system is decaying, fasteners are not holding, and the park is rapidly failing. The new skatepark will be a cast-in-place, concrete skatepark that will extend the life of high-quality skating on Lopez Island for the next generation.

Next Steps

Grindline Skateparks, Inc. was awarded the contract for the project. Grindline is one of the top, cast-in-place skatepark design and construction companies in the country having built or designed over 400 skateparks worldwide. The project will begin with demolition of the existing equipment and move into an approximately 13-step process to prep the site, build the framework, and eventually pour the shotcrete/concrete. Events held by the Lopez Center for Community and the Arts events are not anticipated to be impacted by the work at the park.

The department is excited to begin a project that will leave our community with a beautiful skatepark to use for years to come!

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On January 24, 2024 the project committee agreed on a final design from Grindline.

The final design size is ~6300 sq ft to maximize the budget (including the new 8.4% sales tax rate).

Grindline combined the first two designs, and stripped out color to be an alt bid item. Grindline feels that with a good bid environment the project will be within budget.

The footprint has been cut back away from stage, keeping the mini bowl to the south, increasing sheet drainage while keeping, but moving, the double pocket feature to take advantage of the topography. Adjusted stairs by moving them to the inside. Keeping more flat area to address the request by roller skaters and for the littles on bikes. Total number of features are the same as what was in the two previously presented conceptual plans. All the features introduced in both of the previous concept designs are included in this design.

North to south distance approximately 142’ and east to west 45’. Entire park moved slightly north. Will field verify precise locations prior to breaking ground.

This final design is longer now with more useable area. This design uses the natural topography to reduce the need for imported fill. It provides four lanes of travel with four or five rooms. It will have a bit more of an urban feel to the park than the existing one.

A conceptual design of the new skatepark was presented during the November 6, 2023 meeting on Lopez Island. The proposed style is a skatepark plaza-style to maximize flow throughout the park. It integrates a variety of features to allow beginners to feel confident and grow into more technical maneuvers.

If you have any questions or feedback about the presented design, please contact Carmel Rubin at carmelr@sanjuancountywa.gov.

The San Juan County Parks and Fair Department is pleased to work with the public to design a new skatepark that can serve all skill levels and interests.

• The project team held an initial design meeting at the Lopez Center for Community and the Arts on September 21. San Juan County Parks & Fair project manager Carmel Rubin introduced the project and the funding. Many members of the Grindline Skateparks, Inc. (the contractors) were also present.
• The project team hosted a public survey (see results here or pictures below) to allow skaters to share the features they enjoy skating with, contribute new potential ideas, and outline site features they would like to see.
• After taking initial feedback from the public, designers created a conceptual design. That design was shared with the public during a November 6 meeting on Lopez Island.

The department continues to welcome comments that will inform the final design.