In the past few months, skateparks have risen to the top of the priority list of cities in Marin. On May 11, 2021, the town of San Anselmo completed renovations on the Memorial Park skatepark and the park reopened for public use. On Apr. 10, the town of Fairfax held a ribbon cutting ceremony signifying that the construction of the new Fairfax skatepark had come to a close. 

With an increasing need for skateparks to satisfy the growing skateboarding community, motivated citizens banded together to bring idealistic skateparks to life. After opening on Nov. 7, 2015, the Memorial Park skatepark needed repairs, as it was only intended for five years of use. This deadline expired in November 2020, illustrating the need for new park renovations. 

On Mar. 23, 2021, the San Anselmo City Council approved the plans for the Memorial Park skatepark rebuild. Through the efforts of Proof Lab Surf Shop, the city of San Anselmo, and community members, the skatepark raised 30,000 dollars for renovations.

“I believe it is a step in the right direction for the skating community, as it provides a place for members of the community to have fun,” said Luke Fernandez, a freshman at Archie Williams High School (AWHS).

The park was built within the same parameters of the old skatepark, located on a concrete lot adjacent to the Memorial Park tennis courts. The new park features a concrete grind box, three wood quarter pipes, a metal rail, a hip, and a wooden half pipe with an extended section. Bordering the park is a basketball court that holds scattered interchanging skate obstacles. 

The Fairfax skatepark, finished on Apr. 10, is a temporary park. The park takes up three parking spaces in the Pavilion Parking lot on Bank Street along the eastern wall of the Contratti Park baseball field. This community effort, aided by a GoFundMe page created by the founder of Neighbor Skate Co. Steven Teijeiro, reached 488 donations within three weeks of its creation on Dec. 27, 2020. 

The Skatepark for Fairfax Committee, consisting of members of the Fairfax Town Council and community members, offers free volunteer-run lessons every Saturday from 9am-10am at the Fairfax skatepark. The committee plans to open up skating hours on Sundays from 9am-10am for younger girls and 10am-11am for older girls in hopes of getting more girls to participate in the sport. 

“The positive feedback has surpassed all of my hopes when I first started a push for a skatepark in Fairfax. I believe we now have enough skateparks around here to just start meeting the demand posed by a growing skateboarding community,” Teijeiro said. 

The temporary Fairfax Skatepark has a deadline of one year until the Fairfax’s Parks and Recreation department will scout for a permanent location. With continued usage of the Fairfax and San Anselmo skateparks, amenities need to be built at a rapid pace to meet the demand.