By Brandon HENSLEY

A skate park could be ready this time next year, said L.A. County officials at the Crescenta Valley Town Council meeting on March 21.

Frank Gonzalez and Jim Smith from L.A. County Parks and Recreation were joined by CV High School senior Cooper Iven in presenting the plans for what will be a skate park located at CV Park. It will be just to the west of the parking lot where the baseball fields are.

“We have done an environmental study and determined the location suitable,” said Iven, who is president of the CV Youth Council and has pushed for a skate park for many months.

Smith said there are funds to get started on schematic design. He said there will be probably “three to four months of community outreach” to inform residents of the plans, just like there was with the dog park that opened last year.

“We had the pros and cons with the dog park when we started out,” Smith said. “Everyone bought in, everyone has ownership, and we want to go through that process with the skate park.”

Iven said plans right now are to have gates about 15 feet high surrounding the area, with no lights, and it will be open from sunrise to sunset.

Councilmember Robert Thomas asked when the skate park could be open, and Gonzalez said “about this time next year,” and Smith nodded.

“It’s little more difficult than the dog park was because it’s more structure … it’s like building a swimming pool,” Smith said.

Councilmember Harry Leon, who works with Iven on the Youth Council, was happy for him.

“You impressed me from the first day you got on the Youth Council, and you’ve been doing a great job,” he told Iven.

Before the skate park presentation, Joylene Wagner, Christine Walters, Ali Sadri and Jennifer Freemon, who at the time were GUSD board of education candidates, each gave a three-minute introductory speech to the audience.

Glendale Community College interim superintendent Jim Riggs was introduced to the audience. He has been in that position since last summer when Dawn Lindsay left to return to her native Maryland. Riggs said the college is in the process of looking for permanent superintendent, and will conduct first-level interviews within the next couple of weeks. He also said there will be an open forum on April 25.

Council also elected Bob Thompson over Karen Buehler by a vote of 7-2 to become the newly appointed representative of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Thompson replaces Paul Rabinov.

The next Town Council meeting is scheduled for April 18 in the Community Room of the La Crescenta Library. 2809 Foothill Blvd. in La Crescenta.

  Brandon Hensley