Skate Park Supporters Ask RCPG For Endorsement

They say it's been tried plenty of times before, but that hasn't stopped Joe Minervini from taking the reins and pushing for a local skate park.

After various meetings to gain public interest and talks with park officials about a location, Minervini asked the Ramona Community Planning group to send a letter of support to the County Board of Supervisors.

Resident Jeremy Benintende, who is acting as chairman of the skate park project, spoke on behalf of Minervini and other advocates at Thursday night's RCPG meeting.

Benintende said the park will have two phases, the first as a sort of trial and the second as an expansion.

"You guys all know these groups have happened in the past, people have failed," Benintende told the board. "We're going to be persistent, our nonprofit status is going to be first."

Richard Tomlinson said there is $90,000 budgeted in the county’s Park Land Dedication Ordinance (PLDO) fund for Ramona that is allocated for skate parks.

Minervini said he needs as much community support as possible and that Supervisor Dianne Jacob is looking for "total community endorsement for any county supported project" as well as support from the county Parks and Recreation Department.

The county will ultimately decide if the skate project will be funded.