October 3, 2016
Posted in: News Articles
Laguna Skategarden Park’s has new light and new hours
Amie Windsor | Sonoma West Times & News | September 28, 2016
Skate park open until 10 p.m.
Sebastopol skaters rejoice: the Laguna Skategarden Park’s hours have been extended to 10 p.m., thanks to the installation of new lights.
Over the hot weekend, Penngrove resident Michael Groaning-Heagley traveled north to Sebastopol’s skate park to enjoy some cooler-weather skating.
“Skating at night is great,” Groaning-Heagley said. “I can stay later than usual. It’s hotter during the days, so it’s nice to skate in cooler weather.”
Though he skates in Sebastopol at least once a week, Sunday was Groaning-Heagley’s first time staying at the skate park past dark. He said he favors it over the Petaluma Skatepark, even though it is closer to his home.
“I like it because there are fewer people, fewer kids here,” Groaning-Heagley said. “And the Petaluma park just doesn’t have as many cool things.”
The lights were installed in tandem with construction on a half-acre expansion of the park. The expansion added play equipment, pathways, landscaping of both native and fruit trees, a shade structure, drinking fountains, barbecues and benches.
The expansion was possible thanks to more than $381,000 granted by the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District as well as $134,000 received from the State of California Housing-Related Parks program. The city furnished the remaining funds for the project.
The skate park has been the result of a long partnership between the District and the city. The city and District have worked together since 2004 when the first matching grant project was awarded for the acquisition of the land. The city then received another matching grant in 2008 for the development of a one-acre skate park, designed by Zach Wormhoudt, and a community garden. The total for the first two grants equaled $654,575.
In 2008, the city opened the state-of-the-art skate structure and community garden to the public and it quickly became one of the most intensively used parks in Sebastopol, drawing skaters from throughout West Sonoma County and beyond, according to the District.