Designer of Skating Parks Dies of Cancer

Construction of Ventura’s three skateboard parks will be delayed, due to the unexpected death of the Santa Cruz-based architect working on the project, according to Ventura city officials.

Ken Wormhoudt, who has designed public skateboard parks in Santa Rosa and Palo Alto, died of pancreatic cancer in late August.

The city hired Wormhoudt to design the city’s three public skateboard parks, to be located at Blanche Reynolds Park in midtown, West Park in west Ventura and Hobart Park in east Ventura. The city set aside $100,000 to build the parks--each of which will be between 2,500 and 3,000 square feet in size.

The 67-year-old Wormhoudt, who treated young skateboarders as equals rather than unruly pests, envisioned skate parks as giant functional sculptures.

Wormhoudt held two workshops in Ventura to solicit ideas from the skateboarders, who are often chased off city streets and sidewalks.

In his first workshop, the soft-spoken Wormhoudt brought clay for Ventura skateboarders to mold their dream ramps, rails and pyramids. He then loaded the clay models into his car, and drove them back to Santa Cruz to integrate them into the local park designs.

He returned several weeks later and presented his designs.

“The kids designed it,” said Greg Gilmer, acting parks manager for the city. “He used it all. It was a great process. It was really exciting to see what the kids made put into the design--that he was able to use it.”

Gilmer said the plans are about 95% complete. Wormhoudt’s son, Zachary, who is also a landscape architect, will take over his father’s project.

Wormhoudt’s death will delay the project about four to six weeks. If all goes well, the parks should be completed by March, Gilmer said.