Elk Grove Park District plans to build skate park

The Elk Grove Park District has plans to build an outdoor skate park and replace playground equipment at two parks.

Park district commissioners approved funding Thursday to build the estimated $200,000 skate park on a parcel near the indoor Audubon Skate Park, 300 Elk Grove Boulevard. The plaza-style skate park - which could be built by the end of summer - will replace a deteriorating asphalt inline rink on the property, officials said.

Park district officials and local skateboarding enthusiasts met to develop a concept, said Valerie Lemme, a landscape architect for the park district.

"The kids would like the opportunity to skate whenever, and they would like it to be outside," said Valerie Lemme, landscape architect for the park district.

The park district still needs to design the park and hire a contractor to build it.

Plans to build new playgrounds at Morton Park, 957 Brantwood Ave., and Salt Creek Park, 79 Kennedy Blvd., are further along. The park district plans to spend about $268,000 to upgrade the parks, with about $67,000 of the cost being covered by a grant from playground equipment company GameTime.

The park district has plans to share a portion of the cost to renovate Salt Creek Park with Elk Grove Township Elementary District 59.

Playground equipment at both parks is about 16 years old and in need of repair, Lemme said.

The park district estimates the Morton Park improvements will be complete by May and the Salt Creek project will be finished in August.