New skate park project can proceed with full design | Local News

It will be directly south of the existing skate park, which first opened in 1999.

Some of the councilors expressed apprehension about making a decision after the results of the public survey were announced at the March 14 council meeting, saying there wasn’t enough information about those two choices and that they wanted one more option.

Last month, there weren’t details about the first option and only enough information about the second option for City Manager Chad Cole to describe it as “an initial recommendation” on Wednesday after the council’s special meeting.

Some councilors also said they wanted to hear from Bohannan Huston Inc., the firm contracted to design the park. The state provided a grant of $450,000 for a skate park for that purpose — with the provision that it be completed by June 30.

During last month’s council meeting, Mayor Timothy Jennings said he understood that there isn’t much time to complete a design to complete and submit a design that works for a specific location. He then commented that it “doesn’t mean they’re going to stick this down our throats.”

James MacCornack, senior engineer for the city, said last month the second option was also the one he had recommended.

The public meeting provided more details about both sites than the first presentation to councilors.

Last month, Councilor Edward Heldenbrand said he would unlikely support the second option site but might lean toward the first option. Heldenbrand also asked…