ALL WHEELS ON DECK
KYLE — Kyle City Council heard a presentation at its Jan. 21 meeting regarding updates to the planned Gregg-Clarke Skatepark.
According to agenda documents, a park bond was approved in November 2020, which included $1 million for park improvements at Gregg-Clarke Park. On July 10, 2022, council approved an agreement with Hays County for a match of $1 million — totaling $2 million for the park budget — half of which was dedicated to the skate park.
SPA Skateparks was awarded the contract in February 2023 and it began public engagement from May to August. In March 2024, construction design plans were completed and site grading was completed in May, but the project was ultimately paused to allow new leadership to assess it and bring it in front of council for review to determine what the best path forward for the skate park was.
In October 2024, council gave feedback on the project and requested the following items to be included: lighting, site furnishings, shade and additional skate features, such as bowls, pump tracks and more.
“Staff worked diligently with SPA — the skate park design build company — to take all the community feedback, take council feedback, take park board feedback and implement that into some good preliminary concepts,” said Parks and Recreation Director David Lopez. “We took these concepts to [the] park board, at which time they gave a unanimous recommendation for one of the three concepts.”
Chris Escoto, deputy of parks and recreation, explained that a general rule of thumb is having 20,000 square feet of skate park per 75,000 residents, which puts Kyle at approximately 40,000 square feet.
Three options were proposed by staff at the council meeting: the original design, the enhanced and the all-wheel version.
The original estimated $1 million design is already completed for 9,000 square feet, said Escoto, but the shade and landscape is not included.
The second design, which is labeled enhanced, proposed an increase of 3,000 to 5,000 square feet for the plaza, 7,000 square feet for a skating bowl and shading, lighting, benches and landscaping. It is estimated to cost approximately $2,210,000.
“Going into option number three, we’re talking about the all-wheel skate park. So, for this approach, we’re talking about the inclusivity, introducing all types of wheels,” Escoto explained. “So, you’re talking about skateboards, bicycles, scooters [and] wheelchairs.”
This $3,425,000 concept also includes the bowl, shade, lighting and benches, but also adds an 11,000 square-foot pump track, totaling to a 28,000 to 34,000 square-foot skate park.
Lopez noted that the cost difference does impact how the Capital Improvement Project (CIP) funding from Fiscal Year 2025 is used. Option one would use $108,277, while option two would use $1,439,777. Because option three has the pump track, said Lopez, there is a $1.4 million funding for it, which lowers the CIP usage to $1,254,777.
“When I first saw all-wheels, I was thinking about the bikes. I was thinking about the skateboard. I was thinking about scooters. I never [thought] about wheelchairs. Giving everybody that opportunity should be what we do as a city,” said council member Robert Rizo. “It’s something that I think would generate a lot of interest and have a lot of our kids in our community here in this area.”
He also noted that people from out of town would visit the skate park, which would encourage them to shop retail around the area, which in return, brings money back to the city.
Council member Lauralee Harris was also in favor of option three. “We have to really think about what we’re doing and make sure that we are not throwing money into bad projects, which is, again, the thing that we’ve said with the splash pad. The idea and the desire was there, but the commitment to quality was not. I just believe in my heart that we will never regret making sure that anything we put money into is of a certain standard and will achieve the desired objective,” said Mayor Travis Mitchell.
The item passed unanimously. Additionally, at a special meeting prior to the regular meeting, council member Marc McKinney made a motion for the city manager to enter a purchase agreement for properties at 103 and 105 Veterans Drive for a “fair and reasonable price, including closing costs.”
“I don’t see the immediate strategic need to acquire these properties at this present time. I think that this is a decision that is being rushed,” said council member Miguel Zuniga.
Due to the fact that this item was discussed in executive session, no additional information is available at this time.
The item passed 5-2, with Zuniga and council member Michael Tobias dissenting. Kyle City Council will meet next on Feb. 4.
