Puyallup council approves replacement design for city skate park

Puyallup City Council on Aug. 26 approved a design to replace the existing prefabricated wood-and-metal ramps at the Puyallup Skate Park with a cast-in-place concrete skate park, following a presentation by Parks and Recreation staff and the project’s designer.

Parks and Recreation Director Cody Geddes introduced Brett Johnson, lead designer for Grindline Skateparks, who told the council the design responds to community input collected at two public meetings and an online survey. Johnson said the outreach produced roughly 30 attendees at the first meeting, about 60 survey responses and about 25 attendees at a second meeting where a preliminary concept was refined.

The council was told the current park uses metal ramps with wood surfacing that have deteriorated and are no longer reusable. The new design, Johnson said, emphasizes durability and progression: a bold half-pipe area modeled on the existing half pipe, a “fun box” with a rail and ledge, a set of stairs, a flat ledge and flat-bar rail for beginners, and a kicker-gap feature. The design team said the park will be cast-in-place concrete rather than the existing wood/metal components.

Deputy Mayor King asked whether the project team had responded to a petition asking for repairs and a cover over the park. Geddes said staff had discussed the petition with its organizer and told the council that the existing features are too deteriorated to be saved by a cover; replacing the park was the staff recommendation. Geddes added that a roof or cover is not in the current project scope.

Council members discussed outreach and features. Council member Whiting singled out the inclusion of a kicker-gap, and Council member Adler asked how the finished park would compare to other regional facilities; Johnson said the design would be competitive and serve as a local draw without matching the size of some larger regional parks. Several council members praised the community process that produced the design.

A motion to approve the design was moved and seconded (movers not specified in the meeting record). The motion passed on a voice vote; the meeting record does not list individual roll-call tallies. City staff will proceed with the next steps for Parks and Recreation to implement the replacement project.

The project team and public supporters said the replacement is intended to provide safer, longer-lasting features and a clearer progression path for beginning and advanced skaters. A separate petition and requests for a roof remain topics for possible future discussion but were not approved as part of this design vote.