The Lee Lake Skate Park is open beginning today, with a grand opening and contest planned for early fall, Engineering Director Micah Siemers said Friday.
“We are asking that skaters keep off the sod and seed to give everything a chance to grow like it should, but otherwise the park is open and ready for use,” Siemers said, noting that additional signage will be installed at the park in the coming weeks as well.
Funding for the project, $355,000, was approved by voters in the 2018 General Obligation Bond Election. Additional funds leftover from another park project were included as well, covering the total project cost of $404,250.
The park, which includes a concrete skate course with street amenities and bowls, was constructed by Evergreen Skateparks of Portland, Ore., and designed by Ryan Crane of Ambler Architects.
“In addition to local voters who made funding for the park possible, we are grateful for all the work that Ryan and others who participated in the Bartlesville Skatepark Initiative have put into this project,” Siemers said. “Ryan’s willingness to bring his expertise and passion for skating to the table to design the park at no additional cost to taxpayers is greatly appreciated.
“Overall, this project has been a collaborative effort involving several local organizations and individuals whose contributions have helped make the Lee Lake Skate Park a great addition to the City’s park system.”
The skate park is located on Adams Boulevard just east of Silver Lake Road, in the Lee Lake Complex. The complex includes the lake, Daniels Soccer/Cricket Fields, Cooper Dog Park and a disc golf course. Several upgrades to the complex have been made in recent years thanks to Bartlesville voters, including a reconfiguration of the lake to facilitate urban fishing, lighting and other improvements near the lake and at Daniels Soccer/Cricket Fields, as well as an extension of the Pathfinder Parkway trail in the lake area. Additional work is planned for the complex in upcoming months, including realignment of the entrances and exits on Adams Boulevard.