A brand-new skate park at Crescenta Valley Park rolls out in time for summer
Matt Markus, 42, who grew up in La Crescenta and now lives in Hollywood, goes high on a wall at the new skate park at Crescenta Valley Park on Wednesday, June 29, 2016.
Dozens of skateboarders were kick-flipping, grinding and ollying on a hot and sunny Wednesday afternoon at the newly opened skate park at Crescenta Valley Park.
There are ramps, handrails and a slew of other obstacles for beginners all the way up to pros.
“It’s pretty diverse,” said Glendale resident Sam Walcoff, 19. “There’s a good balance of street obstacles and transitions to big ramps. … It has a lot of small obstacles for beginners to learn a few tricks on.”
But sticking the landing for the more-than-10,000-square-foot facility took several years.
The effort was spearheaded by Cooper Iven and fellow skaters, who took their request for a skate park to the county level.
It took about $2.3 million in funding to get the project off the ground, including support from L.A. County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.
“We were pleased to support this important community amenity — and appreciate the vision of Cooper Iven and [other] young people ... who worked with our Department of Parks and Recreation to build community support and a design strategy for a dedicated and safer venue for local skaters,” Antonovich said in an email.
There are shade structures over a section of the skate park and a new set of bleachers for spectators.
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Walcoff and other skaters said they will be coming by several times a week, if not every day over the summer, and that the skate park in Crescenta Valley Park is a good alternative to the one at Verdugo Park.
There, kids have to pay $3 to enter, while adults must shell out $4. Also, skateboarders at Verdugo Park are required to wear helmets, which is not the case at Crescenta Valley Park.
Walcoff said he likes the option of not having to wear safety gear because it restricts movement.
However, with no outdoor lighting, the skate park closes at dusk, while the one at Verdugo Park is open until 10 p.m. because it’s lit at night.
From left to right, Charles Langley, 40, of Montrose, Brandon Becerra, 19, of Montrose, Jonas Ventura, 18, of Riverside and Andrew Dorosy skate around at the new skate park at Crescenta Valley Park on Wednesday, June 29, 2016.
Andrew Dorosy, 19, lives a few blocks away from the new skate park and said his favorite obstacle is the “four-stair hubba,” which is essentially a small flight of stairs that can be used for pulling off tricks.
He said he’s glad he and other skateboarders don’t have to skate on private property anymore because he and his friends were always shooed away.
“We were getting into trouble so often,” Dorosy said.
He said he’ll be stopping by Crescenta Valley Park at least four times a week.
“It’s basically for everyone. There’s stuff for everyone here,” Dorosy said.
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Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com
Twitter: @ArinMikailian
