Skaters, grab your boards: City giving $1M to build new skate park in downtown Tacoma
Downtown Tacoma will soon get a shiny new skate park.
More than 6,000 votes were cast to decide which community-suggested project would be coming to District 2, the city of Tacoma announced in an Oct. 12 press release.
District 2 residents submitted more than 2,000 ideas as part of the participatory-budgeting process, according to the city. The top three picks were then featured as ballot proposals, with voting ending Sept. 20.
The verdict: $1 million will be going to build and design a covered skate park in a spot under Interstate 705 downtown. The park will also boast vibrant displays of public art.
District 2 Council member Sarah Rumbaugh celebrated the process as a “heartwarming” experience in the news release. She highlighted the number of young people who got involved and became invested in learning how to enact positive changes locally.
“This project will activate and beautify youth-oriented space in downtown Tacoma, and build connections between the Dome District and the waterway,” Rumbaugh said in the release. “I love how this project will help connect distinct parts of District 2 together.”
Two other options were up for consideration to receive the funding. One choice would have supported the community hub, makerspace and new teen area at the main Tacoma Public Library location, according to the city’s website. The other would have worked to upgrade the city’s Puyallup Avenue emergency-shelter stability site in terms of ADA accessibility, bathroom/shower units and more.
The city noted that the skate park’s location under I-705 will help infuse life into an often overlooked urban area, as noted in the release. Implementation is expected to start next year.
Metro Parks Tacoma will care for the skate park’s maintenance long term, noted city spokesperson Maria Lee.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with additional information about the park’s long-term maintenance.
This story was originally published October 14, 2024 at 11:41 AM.
