At its September 8, 2020 meeting, the Hemet City Council approved two resolutions to bring a skate park to the community. In 2018, at the public’s request, the City Council approved a feasibility study to work directly with community members to understand their vision for the skate park. The City Council then approved an allocation of $68,500 to complete the community outreach process, finalize the skate plaza design scheme, and develop detailed construction drawings. The Council also approved the City’s application for grant funding to fund the entire project.
“We are grateful for the community’s collaborative involvement to bring the skate park to Hemet. The Ad Hoc Committee and staff have been diligent in keeping the momentum, and we are eager to see this project move forward as it will provide exciting new recreational opportunities for our community,” said Mayor Russ Brown.
The initial design (concept renderings included as attachments) contemplates a skate plaza at Gibbel Park where local residents can enjoy skating with their peers in a safe environment. The park may include skate amenities such as a snake run, bowl, quarter pipes, and cover between 12,000 and 15,000 square feet at the park.
The next stages of the development will include additional conversations with the Hemet community to settle on a final vision for the plaza, as well as finalizing the application to the Statewide Park Development and Community Revitalization Program for a $1.95 million grant to construct the skate plaza. Should the City be granted the funding, it will partner with the State of California Department of Parks and Recreation to receive 100% reimbursement of all costs expended, with all phases of the skate park project completed by March 2025.
“The City of Hemet is excited about the opportunity to bring a skate park to the community and we are working hard to see that this comes to fruition,” said City Manager, Chris Lopez. “With the approval of Council, our teams are moving quickly to complete our application as well as bringing a complete design to the community.”
The grant application will be submitted by December 2020 and the City will receive notification by summer 2021.
-City of Hemet
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