After several years of effort, shovels are finally in the ground to bring a skate park to Cambria.
Cheers, hard helmets, and community members filled the front of the Cambria Veterans Hall Monday evening to celebrate a new chapter. 'Skate Cambria' finally crossed the finish line to bring new permanent ramps to Main Street.
“We were shovels down, wheels bound, and today we broke ground,” said Chelsie Foster with Skate Cambria.
Skate Cambria members tell me that through countless support, fundraisers, grants, and almost $1 million in private money, this was all possible; in all, the project will cost more than $1 million.
“We don’t want to forget saying thank you to anyone, and on behalf of Skate Cambria, we’re just excited to get this park built,” said Juli Amodei, who is also with Skate Cambria.
Foster told KSBY News she grew up in the area and said it’s nice seeing the project come full circle.
“Watching it go from a DIY park for some locals here to a full state-of-the-art park is going to be incredible for all the kids that are going to be looking for something to do,” Foster said.
One of those kids who will soon be able to enjoy the park is Champ Clark, who said he had to improvise on where to skate.
“Other skate parks, around here, backyards, parking lots, different skate parks in Morro Bay, Pismo, Venice Beach,” Clark said.
Clark said a skate park in Cambria has been a long time coming.
“I am excited, of course, because we’ve been waiting for six-and-a-half years and it’ll be so amazing to finally have the skate park,” Clark said.
Community members Julie Tacker and Johanna Sanders contributed to the cause by buying a brick that commemorates the life of their loved one, Justin West.
“He was a skateboarder and an athlete and traveled all around the county going to different skate parks, including this one here in Cambria," Tacker said. “He would have loved to have been here, and we’re really in awe of the fundraising effort, and it’s about time."
