After five long years, it is finally here. The Lakeside Skatepark opened for skateboarders of all ages on April 25 and more than 200 people at the ribbon cutting ceremony welcomed the 16,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility. As skaters patiently waited, with their boards, scooters and bicycles, those that helped make this community dream possible celebrated their anxiousness to grab some airtime or grind some railing.
After five long years, it is finally here. The Lakeside Skatepark opened for skateboarders of all ages on April 25 and more than 200 people at the ribbon cutting ceremony welcomed the 16,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility. As skaters patiently waited, with their boards, scooters and bicycles, those that helped make this community dream possible celebrated their anxiousness to grab some airtime or grind some railing.
County of San Diego Parks and Recreation Director Brian Albright said he was “super excited” about the grand opening and that in most cases communities come and say, “if we build it, they will come.”
“This is not the message that we heard from the Lakeside community,” he said. “The message we got was that the community was not going anywhere until you build us a skate park.”
And a community effort is was. County Supervisor Dianne Jacob has been a strong supporter of getting this project on the map. She said this park is the biggest and best skate park and the only skate park located in unincorporated San Diego County.
“This is a great example of the community rallying around its young people.”
Jerry Mosier of the Lakeside Highway Lions Club said there were so many people made the skate park a reality. He first recognized Lakeside’s Betty McMillan, for coming to him five years ago and telling him that Lakeside needed a safe place for its youth. He said the idea grew from there, and many people came aboard with the idea of the skate park.
“This is truly a homegrown project,” he said.
Built by Anton’s Services Inc., Mosier said that it went above expectations, came up with new ideas and implemented them at no cost. He said they also used local sub-contractors.
With full support from the Tony Hawk Foundation, the skate park involved a myriad of people and organizations that pulled this effort together and kept it going until completion. The Friends of Lakeside Skate Park, The Lakeside Chamber of Commerce, the Lakeside Highway Lions Club, The Barona Band of Mission Indians, the County of San Diego Parks and Recreation, Lakeside Firefighters, Hilliker’s Ranch Fresh Eggs, Walmart and Daily Disposable, a Lakeside based trash collection company provided $25,000 at the groundbreaking ceremony in July.
There will be a June 21 grand opening celebration and as part of the fundraising effort, the Friends of the Lakeside Skate Park are still selling engraved bricks until that time. Now that the facility is built, Friends of the Lakeside Park and the community are responsible for the upkeep and maintenance and enforcement of rules. For more information on how to donate, volunteer or buy a special engraved brick to be set in the park go to lakesideskatepark.org.
