Dreams. Cotton candy fluff and ethereal, or a concrete reality? Lompoc skate park, aka College Park, is a dream that is literally a concrete reality and celebrates 23 years this month. A dream first dreamt in the late 1970s (and perhaps before then) but discarded as impossible became more probable with the advent of SB994.
SB994 was a little piece of legislature that included skateboarding as an extreme sport and limited the property owner's liability if injury should occur. With the passing of SB994, skate parks began popping up in California, and the dream kept alive by a few became more viable. The idea was then brought to the Lompoc Parks and Recreation Youth Commission, which made it a goal to make the dream a reality.
Working together, the Youth Commission, Lompoc Parks & Rec and Surf Connection rallied the skateboarding community and raised monies as a good faith testament to the need. A piece of property was acquired through an agreement with Santa Barbara County, and the Lompoc City Council agreed to fund the project through the City Budget. Several meetings with an experienced professional skate park designer and the skateboarding community resulted in the park's current design. With the plan in hand, the project was put out to bid, a builder selected, and ground was broken. Soon, a simple dirt field became a concrete playground for skateboarders of all ages and levels of ability to enjoy.
Today, the park is virtually unchanged from when it first opened. There is a fence that now surrounds it. Some edges and corners show the wear and tear of daily use, and the splashes of color on the vertical aspects of the park Lovin' Lompoc added several years ago remain. Overall, however, the concrete waves first put in place remain the same for now.
The days and weeks for those familiar and much-prized aspects are now dwindling. Another dream has come to fruition with the approval of a grant to transform College Park into a new and improved version of what we enjoy today. The skatepark footprint will be approximately 50% larger with new concrete and obstacles, and the park will also be home to a playground, half-court basketball, a picnic area and more. The park, as we know it today, will continue until sometime in 2024, and then it will be razed to make way for the new dreams.
What makes us smile the most, however, are the friends and cherished memories we have made at College Park in the last 23 years as we look to another dream becoming concrete. So remember to join us on August 19th for what will most likely be the final competition at our much-loved skatepark and help us make more memories. We will have Best Run and Best Trick competitions in a variety of age groups, lots of prizes, raffle opportunities and Lompoc Foursquare Church Elevate Youth Group will join the fun again.