ESCONDIDO — The city awarded a nearly $1.3 million contract late last month to build the Westside Park Skate Spot, helping address a local demand for more skateparks.
The Escondido City Council unanimously approved the contract with GeoCon Engineering Inc., also known as GeoCon Skateparks Inc., on May 20.
According to its website, GeoCon is a specialty skatepark builder based in Ramona that has constructed several parks throughout Southern California, including Poods Skatepark in Encinitas, and beyond.
GeoCon submitted the lowest of six bids the city received for the project in April.
Jason Christman, the city’s interim engineer, said staff verified the company was in good standing with the Department of Industrial Relations.
“The project will provide much needed relief to the demand from the community for more skate parks,” Christman said, noting the skate spot will add another aesthetic and recreational amenity to Westside Park.
The 3-acre park at 333 S. Spruce Street currently includes basketball courts, picnic tables, a shade structure, a tot-lot playground, restrooms and an open turf area.
The city’s need for additional skateparks grew following the success of the Washington Park Skate Spot, which was added about five years ago.
In August 2024, the City Council awarded a $260,196 consulting agreement to New Line Skateparks Inc. to design the Westside Park Skate Spot.
Washington Park is currently home to the city’s only skatepark after the Escondido Sports Center Skatepark at Kit Carson Park permanently closed last year. A safety audit found multiple deficiencies, including a foundational substructure that had exceeded its lifespan and was beyond repair.
For many Escondido youths, skateboarding provides an outdoor recreational activity that keeps them occupied and out of trouble. According to several community members, providing skateboarders with a designated place to ride can help prevent skateboarding and potential vandalism elsewhere in the city.
Councilmember Judy Fitzgerald, whose district includes Westside Park, said she had heard from several neighbors who believed a skatepark had been needed in the area for a long time.
“There is an excitement around that area,” she said. “Kids now have a place to go that’s safe.”
Fitzgerald also said that skateboarding provides another physical activity for youth and can help improve grade point averages in schools.
Several members of the public spoke in favor of the new skate spot, noting how the facility at Washington Park has changed many lives.
One resident expressed frustration over what she described as the city’s lack of response when she attempted to provide input on the project. She said the skate spot concept did not fit within the 3-acre Westside Park as well as the existing skate spot fits within the 11-acre Washington Park, and urged the city to reconsider the location.
Construction work will include traffic control, tree transplanting, installation of stormwater best management practices, lighting, electrical panel improvements, installation and reconnection of an irrigation system, and stormwater pollution prevention measures.
