After four years in the works, Skate Cambria had their permits approved on Thursday by the San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission.
Now, Skate Cambria will move forward with construction of the skate park.
“I'm really excited,” Cyrus Maddelein, third-grader at Cambria Grammar School said.
"I think it’s a big improvement for our town,” Catalina Diepenbrock, fifth-grade student at Cambria Grammar School said.
Kids at Cambria Grammar School said they love to skate, bike and ride scooters but they say they don't have a safe outdoor space to ride them.
“I have a couple of skateboards that I really want to use but there’s not really anywhere to use them, so I'm really excited to use them at the new skate park,” Eli Whitehill, a fourth-grader at Cambria Grammar School said.
Ruben Cosme said every weekend he travels about forty minutes to San Luis Obispo just to skate.
“I’m super excited so we don't have to go all the way to San Luis Obispo and Cayucos to scooter and stuff,” Cosme said.
Skate Cambria project manager Juli Amodei says this is the largest infrastructure project ever for recreation and children in Cambria.
“It’s great opportunity for them to have a place to call their space,” Amodei said.
The old skate park in Cambria was taken out in 2020 because of safety concerns related to the deteriorating conditions of the park.
The new park will be built in the same location where the old skate park was with funding coming from many sources over the years.
“Between the memorandum, private funds and the current grant that’s in process, that will take us to roughly $1.2 million that will get us over the finish line,” Amodei said.
Parents in the community are excited for a safe, outdoor play space for their children.
“People will come through our community and say where are the kids? Well, they’re here but there aren’t a lot of youth-related activities, especially outdoors, that’s provided for them,” Agatha Diepenbrock, PTA president at Cambria Grammar School said.
Construction is expected to begin in a year and is expected to be complete by end of 2025.
Cambria Grammar School principal, Jill Southern says she hopes the new skate park will draw kids to the outdoors.
“Getting exercise, challenging themselves physically and having a place where they can have a social space of connecting with their peers and others that have the same interests,” Southern said.
Skate Cambria is still raising funds for maintenance and upkeep of the skate park. If you wish to help and donate visit here.
