In from Sole Tech.

Good morning Sole Tech!

I wanted to let you know that the construction contract for the expansion of the etnies Skatepark of Lake Forest was awarded this week. The 13,000 square-foot expansion will be done by California Skateparks. This expansion project was made possible by public funds.

Below is an article that ran in the Orange County Register with all the details:

'Now or never' for Etnies Skatepark expansion

LAKE FOREST – Calling it "now or never," Mayor Peter Herzog and the Lake Forest City Council on Tuesday night gave the go-ahead to award the construction contract for the 13,000-square-foot expansion of Etnies Skatepark.

The council voted 4-0 (Councilman Richard Dixon was on an excused absence) to pay an extra $133, 460 for the street run, an area that replicates skating on city streets. City staff had recommended removing this feature from the original design because of added cost. With the street run, the total cost is $912,640.

"It's kind of like the icing on the cake," Herzog said of the street feature. "It rounds it out and completes it. It's fortunate we are in a fiscal position where we can move forward with this project."

Construction is expected to begin in November and is scheduled for completion in spring 2011. The expansion will make the skate park about 60,000 square feet – one of the largest in the world, according to city officials.

The park, dubbed the county's best by OC Parent magazine for the fourth consecutive year, will include features found at famous skating places throughout the world.

Among the expansion highlights:

•Recreate the famous China Banks from San Francisco's China Town using a similar brick-stamped bank.

•Build a mini-bowl – 3-1/2 feet deep – ideal for beginning riders to practice.

•Erect a street run with a six-stair pier that ends with a rooftop hit, a feature similar to that found at the first Maloof Money Cup.

•Build a backyard-style, blue-colored pool with shallow end stairs and two death boxes (aka the overflow drain at the edge of a pool) and stone coping.

•Construct a cradle, where riders can go inside, over the backside and carve the opening, which, according to skate park staff, might be the park's most outstanding feature.

Money for the skate park expansion comes from the city's five-year strategic plan. A $200,000 state park grant is also being used for the project.

The expansion design came together with input from more than 200 community members who attended expansion workshops in February and April 2009. The public also was able to post and discuss ideas on the website for SITE Design Group of Solana Beach, selected in January 2009 to design the expansion.

Here is a link to the article: http://www.ocregister.com/news/expansion-272006-park-city.html

Thanks,

Ashton

... wow. this is going to be sick! I don't know what else to say...

nate.