Community Rallies Around Official Opening of Peck Park Skate Park

Peck Park Skate Park Grand Opening (photo: Joe Buscaino/Facebook)

The official unveiling of Peck Park Skate Park was met with great fanfare from local residents and skateboarders eager to give the city’s newest skateboarding destination a whirl on Aug. 15.

Led by City Councilman Joe Buscaino, the unveiling of the skate park included a ribbon cutting ceremony, which drew more than 100 residents and community leaders to Peck Park, including L.A.’s new fire chief, Ralph Terrazas. Many citizens have expressed hope that the new skate park will curb illegal skateboarding and provide youth a constructive recreational outlet.

“Today, San Pedro has two world-class skate parks. It’s my goal to have one skate park per community in my district,” said Buscaino.

Residents and skateboarders alike had anticipated the opening of the skate park since the $850,000 project broke ground in February of last year. Early estimates pegged the opening to take place around fall of last year, but the project ran into construction challenges, said Andy Harris, president of the San Pedro Skate Park Association.

Peck Park Skate Park’s opening was also important to community leaders who were concerned that, since the Channel Street Skate Park will close for revamping, there needed to be another skate park available for young skateboarders.

“Channel Street is the most important aspect in this… Peck Park wouldn’t be a part of this conversation if not for Channel. People in town built that park and turned San Pedro into a skateboarding destination. Peck Park is mitigation that skateboarders won’t have a place to go for a year or year and a half,” said Harris.

Ryan Whitman, a skateboarder who attended the ceremony, was among many fellow skateboarders that already skated the park ahead of the official opening. Whitman said the park is a better alternative for doing stunts compared to streets.

“It’s cool because at least while I’m here I don’t have to worry about anyone saying anything to me like, ‘Oh you can’t do that,’ ” he said.

Community leaders are hoping young skateboarders will consider using designated spaces for skateboarding such as Peck Park.

Harris said he doesn’t expect the new skate park to fit all of the needs of skateboarders.

“Skateboarding is a very popular activity that a lot of kids do, and a lot of adults do… I think [Peck Park Skate Park] is totally necessary. We need more skate parks in town, but the kids are going to skate wherever they are going to skate,” said Harris.