Skate Park Grand Opening
By John Earp
This past Tuesday at Jal Lake Park, city officials, employees and residents attended the grand opening of the long-awaited skate park. Several dozen children showed up for the grand opening along with their parents. All children accompanied by a parent were given helmets by Jal EMS. Donuts and kolaches were provided to all who attended.
The project also included a bandstand as well as covered basketball courts, providing a large shaded area to the park. Recent July 4th activities sh0wcased the utility of the large covered areas, with food trucks and other vendors being set up under the shade.
The Jal Lake Skate Park was a project originally proposed under the previous city manager, Matt White. A resolution approving a professional services contract with Lasco Construction for the Jal Skate Park Project was passed by the Jal City Council on June 19, 2023. Delays due to the concrete work not passing inspection requiring extra time to fix contributed to the 2+ year time span from the time of approval to completion of the project.
