Skaters and BMX bike riders will have a smoother surface on which to roll their wheels with plans ahead to repair the city’s skatepark.
On Tuesday evening, the Cortez City Council voted unanimously to approve a contract with Sychar of Bloomfield, New Mexico, for long-needed repairs on the skatepark in Parque de Vida.
Eli Brock, a manager at Kokopelli Bike and Board in Cortez who grew up skating in the area, said that he was “super stoked” to learn about the repairs. Brock described the skating community in Cortez as a “bustling scene” that especially draws in youths.
The city is now taking measures to fix up the park.
“The skatepark has some significant distressed areas that are in need of repair,” Cortez General Services Director Casey Simpson said during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
Skaters and bikers face obstacles to recreating on the skatepark’s tarnished surface.
“The project is an immediate safety issue for the city and a source of notable public concern,” Simpson said.
Beyond the physically tarnished conditions, the skatepark has developed a reputation in the eyes of some locals as a site for drugs and crime. The previous year’s Fourth of July brought further negative attention to the skatepark after an altercation there resulted in gunfire.
As for the wear and tear of the skatepark, much of that owes to the natural erosion of time.
According to Parks and Recreation Director Creighton Wright, the skatepark was built about two decades ago.
“To my knowledge, we’ve had no additional repairs done to that skatepark in 20 years,” said Wright.
Simpson said that when the city originally reached out to skate park professionals and contractors, the idea was floated around to entirely rebuild the park to the tune of a half-million dollars.
The other option would have been some superficial repairs at a cost of about $20,000, he said.
But the city reached a halfway point, Simpson said, with a cost closer to the lower end of the considered options.
After some adjustments to the city’s biding offers, Sychar landed on a price just over $100,000. The company, however, was the only bidder, Simpson said.
“Certainly not a comprehensive solution but one that we can afford now,” he said.
Mayor Rachel Medina and Councilmember Lydia DeHaven both said that the city has repeatedly heard from users of the skatepark over the last few years.
The council voted unanimously to award the bid, allowing Simpson to negotiate and sign the contract.