LAGUNA BEACH : No Ideal Site Found for Skateboard Park

A task force searching for a skateboard park site has not been able to find an ideal location and will ask the City Council tonight whether to keep looking or give up the project.

The task force has spent months scouring the city and has considered parks, property along Laguna Canyon Road and existing tennis and shuffleboard courts for a skateboard park. If the council wants the search to continue, task force members said, they will suggest focusing on Alta Laguna Park and Moulton Meadows Park.

The task force did pick two sites as possibilities. One option is tennis courts at the Festival of Arts grounds, owned by the city. While the site has advantages, including a surface that is already suitable for skating, the task force said that tennis players would not likely give it up without a fight.

The second option is a parcel known as the Phillips Property at Laguna Canyon Road and Canyon Acres Drive. It is near other youth facilities and local bus lines but is not owned by the city--it would have to be bought or leased.

The report says many people have also inquired about an in-line hockey rink, so the task force is also looking for possible sites for such a facility.