After more than five years of effort, construction for the Cambria skate park is ready to go out for bid—but only after the county says so and the winter weather dries up.
This is what Cambria Community Services District (CSD) Manager Matthew McElhenie said at a meeting on Sept. 11 as the CSD board reviewed the ongoing project after it challenged local organization Skate Cambria to raise another $329,000 for the project in April.
Despite reaching that goal, McElhenie said the skate park’s construction couldn’t start until after San Luis Obispo County deemed the restroom facilities on the property, located on Main Street, capable of withstanding potential flooding because they reside on a floodplain.
Board member Karen Dean added that the district wanted to ensure “the restroom wouldn’t float down the street in a rainstorm.”
Because the skate park now needs the county’s approval and should avoid construction in the wet months of winter, District Manager McElhenie asked that the board approve construction bids go out when most appropriate since bidding estimates only last 60 to 90 days. He anticipated this could start in mid-2026.
“We’d hate to go into [bidding] now and no longer have those numbers be valid,” he told the board on Sept. 11. “Typically, these prices don’t go down.”
Members of the board agreed with McElhenie and said that construction should move forward once conditions were ideal, but one public commenter had board member Michael Thomas questioning whether the district could provide the community with some peace of mind that the project is still a priority.
The public commenter requested that the board expedite the project and open construction bids by the end of 2025.
“I strongly … implore the board and respectively use every tool, every relationship, every skill that you have to find a way to get the [bidding] before year end. It simply can’t wait,” he said.
The project has been under the CSD’s purview since 2020 when Skate Cambria proposed the new skate park and was challenged to raise $1.2 million to make it happen.
Since then, the group has continued to adhere to the CSD’s requirements, but it’s also aired its grievances throughout the process, accusing the board of stalling the project when the CSD considered new skate park locations or when it required Skate Cambria to raise hundreds of thousands of more dollars in six months.
“No more delays, no more obstacles, no more excuses. This is in your hands. Please find the courage, please find the will, please find the imagination to get this done now,” the commenter said.
Board member Thomas said, “What a Christmas gift to the community that would be,” but the board unanimously voted to wait until it had the county’s approval, and the weather improved.
District Manager McElhenie told New Times via email that Skate Cambria’s fundraising was an incredible accomplishment.
“We anticipate breaking ground in early to mid-2026 based on seasonal construction constraints,” he said. “The district will continue coordinating with … our community partners to update the public on progress as we move through permitting, bidding, and scheduling.”
New Times did not receive a response from Skate Cambria before publication. ∆
This article appears in Sept 18-28, 2025.
It is FEMA and the County planning department that want the engineering study done by the pre-fab restroom manufacturer to make sure the restroom can withstand a 100yr storm in that location.
The Central Coast is where skateboarding goes to die.