Youths to See Model of Skateboard Park

A three-dimensional clay scale model of Ventura County’s first full-size skateboard park will be presented Monday at the Camarillo Community Center to the youths who helped design it.

About 80 Camarillo skateboarders in October took lumps of clay and transformed them into their dream facility.

Santa Cruz-based architect Zach Wormhoudt then took the clay models back up north and developed a design to fit their needs.

“It’s pretty diverse,” Wormhoudt said. “It contains a lot of street-skating elements with urban features, such as steps, rails, curbs and ramps. There’s also some of the more traditional skating features like quarter pipes and a bowl.”

Following in the tradition of his father, Ken, who originated the park plans and died in August of pancreatic cancer, Wormhoudt says involving the skateboarders is paramount to the success of the project.

“It not only guarantees they will get something they like--because they basically designed it--but it also sets up a sense of pride and ownership among the skateboarders,” Wormhoudt said.

Assuming skateboarders request only minor changes Monday, Wormhoudt says the working drawings and specifications should be ready in about seven weeks.

Once completed, the drawings will be submitted to the Pleasant Valley Park and Recreation District for approval. The project would then be sent out to bid and a contractor would be selected.

The 10,000-square-foot facility, which would be located at Pleasant Valley Park on the corner of Ponderosa Road and Temple Avenue, could be open by next summer, district officials said.

The park district has set aside $100,000 for the project, which is expected to cost about $175,000.

Mayor Charlotte Craven has spearheaded a push to get her fellow council members to kick in about $50,000. The council is expected to decide on the matter Jan. 28.

Monday’s presentation will be at 6 p.m. at the Camarillo Community Center in Room 1.