Ken Mercer Skatepark

What is the skatepark going to include?

The City will be conducting public outreach to determine the answer to this question – the components included in the skatepark will be based on the feedback that the City receives during the outreach process. Preliminarily, the City is expecting to add approximately 1-acre of skatepark to the existing 8,000 square-foot skatepark, including amenities such as pathways, parking, lighting, furnishings, and other features as deemed appropriate during the design process. The new skatepark is likely to include more intermediate and advanced skate features to add to the beginner level features of the existing skatepark. There will also be a mixture of flow and street course, possibly with a flow bowl(s), flat bars, mini ramps, a transitional street plaza, a-frame rails, manual pads, hip transfers, quarter-pipes, and half-pipes. There will also be access improvements to the park. The level of renovation and/or replacement of the existing park will be determined from the public outreach.

Why does Pleasanton plan to build another skatepark?

The 2014 Parks and Recreation Master Plan identified skateparks as one of the City of Pleasanton’s more significant recreation deficiencies. The plan stated that the City was currently (in 2013) short on skate facilities by 1/2 acre and that an additional 1 acre skatepark would be necessary once the City reached 78,000, the projected build-out of the City at the time. To meet the demands of the community, the master plan recommended adding another skatepark at Ken Mercer Sports Park adjacent to the existing skatepark. The plan also recognized that skateboarding was the sport with the most growth in popularity. At the February 14, 2019 Parks and Recreation Commission meeting, the Commission received a presentation from then Community Development Director, Gerry Beaudin on the City Council 2019-2020 Two-Year Work Plan Prioritization Process. As the meeting opened to the public several community members shared that they would like the Parks and Recreation Commission to support prioritizing a new skatepark. Community members shared that the 2014 Parks and Recreation Master Plan listed a new skatepark as a priority and they would like to see the project prioritized. After much public comment and discussion, the Parks and Recreation Commission made a motion recommending the skatepark as one of their two top priorities. City Council conducted a workshop on March 12, 2019 to review the City’s workplan and agreed with the Parks and Recreation Commission that a skatepark should be a priority. At that meeting City Council budgeted the public outreach and design of the project.

Where is the skatepark going to be located and why?

Following the decision by City Council, the recreation, parks, and landscape architecture divisions researched and visited various skateparks throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. This research included meeting with staff at the following cities to discuss their skateparks and glean more information:

• City of Fremont

• City of Milpitas

• City of Newark

These skateparks were determined to be quite popular, well designed and highly recommended by local skatepark advocates for staff to research. Utilizing the information collected from the site visits, conversations with local advocates and research, staff compiled a checklist of site attributes necessary for a successful skatepark. With these attributes in mind, staff researched and visited a variety of locations within Pleasanton to determine which City properties checked the boxes on the list and could accommodate a skatepark. Two locations rose to the top of the list as they checked off the most attributes – Bernal Community Park and Ken Mercer Sports Park. City staff presented the research and top locations to the Parks and Recreation Commission at their November 10, 2020 meeting. The Commission, at the behest of the wide range of skatepark supporters that attended the meeting, unanimously recommended to expand the existing skatepark at Ken Mercer Sports Park. The City Council then directed City staff to begin the design process to expand the Ken Mercer skatepark at their December 1, 2020 meeting. The City then hired RRM Design Group and Wormhoudt, Inc. through a competitive qualifications process.

How can I participate in the process or learn more?

The City will be conducting public outreach for the skatepark over the course of 2021. For more information regarding the project, please sign up for email updates and refer to the Project Documents section below. Or you can contact the City’s project manager, Landscape Architect Matt Gruber, at the below email or phone number.