FORKS — The skate park — which has been in use for about six weeks — will be ceremonially opened today, Saturday.
The park designed by Grindline Design Group of Seattle was completed the last week of May and has been informally open since.
At 3 p.m., a ribbon will be cut and a barbecue served during a grand opening, said Darren Greeno, West End Surf owner and a member of the Forks Session Association which planned the park.
“We got all the lights up and working, so it can go until whenever,” Greeno said.
“It is just a laid-back time for people to get together and enjoy the new skate park.”
Two raffles will be held, he said, one providing free tickets to skateboarders who need helmets.
“The Forks Police Department donated 20 helmets, so we’ll be raffling those off to kids who need them,” he said.
T-shirts, a skateboard and other items also will be raffled off, with proceeds benefiting the Forks Session Association, Greeno said.
Tickets will be $1 each.
In addition to the signature bowl, a 10-foot-wide sidewalk with obstacles every 25-or-so feet is also available for skateboarders to learn tricks.
There is also a small half pipe for those just starting out.
Several skateboard teams from the surrounding areas are expected to attend the event.
“It is nothing very formal, but we hope to see some people come up for the event,” Greeno said.
In 2002, the city council donated an 80-foot by 60-foot area for the project.
The Forks Session Association began planning the park about five years ago, and also began raising money for the project.
The project costs about $60,000.
The cost has been covered by fundraising and a pledge by the city to cover the remaining $16,000 if it cannot be raised.
Since that pledge was made, a few more donations have trickled in, including a $650 donation from First Federal, Greeno said.
“From here on out, we will probably place the money in a fund so that we will have some sort of maintenance fund for the future,” he added.
“We’ll also have that fund should we ever decide to have a phase two of this project.”
