Finally, a skate park in Costa Mesa

Now and future skateboarders in Costa Mesa (and Newport Beach, too)

finally have a place to call their own.

The Costa Mesa City Council last week wisely, and finally,

approved plans to build a skate park at TeWinkle Park. The 3-2 vote

means an end to a decade of halting talks, unfinished proposals and

the embarrassing lack of a place to skate in a city that is a center

of the skateboarding business and where filling the lack of such a

park has long been the No. 1 recreation priority.

There is, of course, still much to be done. Some of it is the fun

part: Designing the park. Even with the somewhat restrictive size --

the council approved a 15,000-square-foot park when many in other

cities are twice that size -- there are reasons to expect a

cutting-edge, top-of-the-line facility.

Why? Because Costa Mesa has so much expertise to draw upon, so

many long-time skateboarders who can put their know-how to work. They

are ready and able to design a park perfect for all levels of

skaters.

And, perhaps even more importantly, there are a number of

skateboard manufacturers and apparel companies that should be called

upon to pitch in with the money needed to build this park. There is

only $528,000 in the city’s budget for the park -- not enough.

Councilman Mike Scheafer’s comment about “Billabong restrooms”

(Billabong bathrooms have a better ring) may sound funny, but it also

sounds financially smart. These companies should line up to be

involved, as a gesture of good will toward the community and as a

smart bit of marketing.

Not all that remains will be fun for those who have already fought

so long for this park. There still are concerns about parking and

lights and there could be other, unforeseen battles involving the

plan’s lingering opponents. As those who have followed this lengthy

story know, just about anything is possible.

Now, however, it looks like a park really is, too.