Effort to find temporary skateboard park taking shape in San Carlos

Vagharshakian has offered to provide the equipment needed for the park including a collection of quarter pipes, small ramps and rails from Freshpark Ramps, a Huntington Beach company. While the equipment provided by Vagharshakian would be made of heavy-duty metal, he hopes residents would either temporarily or permanently donate wooden ramps to the park. 

“This is not a permanent thing. We’re talking about a temporary measure and we want to test waters. If it’s successful, if parents love it, if everyone is OK with it, perhaps it will pave the way for the city to put priority on it,” said Vagharshakian. 

Securing a location for the temporary mini bike and skate park has proven difficult for those pushing for the park though. Elkes sought use of a Caltrain station parking lot on El Camino Real, which has been left largely deserted due to low ridership caused by the pandemic, but received a rejection letter from Caltrain lawyers citing liability concerns.

But after months of sheltering in place and renewed interest from the community, Vagharshakian and Elkes hope the city will be successful in fostering an agreement between Caltrain and the park organizers. Following a City Council presentation by Vagharshakian, councilmembers directed staff to begin looking for potential locations for the park, suggesting the school district may be a potential partner as well. 

Caltrain spokesman Dan Lieberman said the transit agency is “discussing the issue with the city evaluating the request internally.” Councilman Adam Rak, a supporter of the skate park, said school officials have been focused on reopening campuses to students, making school grounds an unlikely option. 

“We always want to look at how we can do things instead of how we can’t do things. I hope the hurdle is not so high we can’t clear it,” said Rak. 

He noted the development of a temporary skate park would benefit from the involvement of the youth commission, an idea shared by Elkes. Rak said he planned on mentioning the idea during Monday’s City Council meeting. 

“We need to hear from the youth of our community and understand what they need from us at this time,” said Rak. 

The skate park initiative has also gained support from Anna Dagum, a member of the Caltrain Citizens Advisory Committee and fellow cyclist and skater. Dagum said the park would be a “valuable way to activate any underused space,” noting the agency recently adopted a COVID-19 recovery plan prioritizing equity by expanding services to better cater to underserved communities. 

Dagum said she appreciates the document and Caltrain’s work to address inequalities in service but was disappointed by how little land use was mentioned. She noted the agency “does not operate in a vacuum” and has a responsibility to equitably increase the “functionality of its land.” 

“We cannot discount the value of the land that the corridor runs through when talking about expanding access to low-income people and members of underserved communities. I recognize the grassroots work that has been done surrounding the proposal for a temporary mini bike/skate park as valid research that identifies an innovative way to expand public access to Caltrain’s land,” said Dagum.

Elkes also believes the park would encourage young people, eager to begin driving, to opt for alternative modes of transportation, ultimately benefiting the environment by lowering greenhouse gas emissions. 

“When the sky goes orange and the day goes black it makes an impact. ... If our community can come around for that one thing in this extraordinary time I see that as a reason to push harder for something that made sense two years ago and still makes sense,” said Elkes who noted her proposal gained wide support from neighbors on the community app Nextdoor and Facebook. 

Vagharshakian has offered to maintain the equipment and to cover the city and Caltrain under the shop’s issuance plan if litigation were to occur. But Vagharshakian said in his 11 years running the skate shop, hosting summer camps and providing lessons, he’s never been sued, nor has an injury occurred in his program. 

“Skateboarding has got a bad rap. It’s a lot less dangerous especially the way we teach it,” said Vagharshakian. “Anything can go wrong but we can take the proper approach where everyone can be safe.” 

Certain precautions will be necessary, said Vagharshakian, who noted fencing would need to be stationed around the park along with signs informing residents of personal liability in case of injuries. To prevent theft, he said a narrow fence can be installed preventing an exit for the large equipment but noted vandalism and crime by skateboarders is unlikely if the park is established correctly. 

“If you build a place hidden from the eyes of the community that’s not maintained and treat it like trash it will be treated like trash [by the public],” said Vagharshakian. “Against the popular misconception, if you build a place for [skaters] they respect it. They won’t come and steal from their own house.” 

sierra@smdailyjournal.com 

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