Funding gap puts Cambria skate park project at another crossroads

After years of fundraising, planning, and anticipation, Cambria’s long-awaited skate park has reached the closest point yet to becoming a reality—only to hit another hurdle.

The Cambria Community Services District will decide whether to move forward with construction after the project’s lowest bid came in higher than the funding currently available, leaving the skate park at least $175,000 short before accounting for unexpected construction costs.

“The skate park remains an important community project, and the district appreciates the significant work that volunteers, donors, grant partners, and community members have invested over the years to advance it,” General Manager Matthew McElhenie said in an email to New Times.

The funding gap comes after years of grassroots fundraising by Skate Cambria, a local nonprofit that has worked to replace the town’s former skate park, which closed in 2020. Since then, volunteers have pieced together funding through private donations, tourism grants, and a $600,000 California State Parks Land and Water Conservation Fund grant, bringing the project to the point where construction bids could finally be opened.

Now, the district faces a choice: award the construction contract and cover the remaining cost, delay the project while organizers continue fundraising, or ask the lowest bidder to keep its price available while the funding gap gets addressed.

Newton Construction & Management Inc. submitted the lowest responsive bid at $1.34 million. About $152,305 of the skate project’s funds are already committed to purchasing and installing a required public restroom, leaving approximately $1.17 million available for construction.

That means the project is currently about $175,000 short before adding a contingency fund—money set aside to cover unforeseen costs during construction. Depending on the contingency amount selected by the board, the funding gap could grow to between roughly $309,000 and $444,000.

According to a report prepared by McElhenie, district staff recommend either rejecting the bids and continuing fundraising efforts or requesting a bid extension of up to 180 days. The extension would give Skate Cambria more time to secure additional funding while potentially preserving the current construction price.

“The recommendation to either reject the bids or seek an extension of the bid validity period would provide additional time to evaluate funding opportunities, continue fundraising efforts, and preserve the current bid pricing while allowing the board to make a decision with a more complete financial picture,” McElhenie said.

The district’s hesitation comes from competing financial demands. While Cambria CSD has approximately $2.4 million in unrestricted general fund reserves, staff said those funds may be needed for other priorities, including fire protection, emergency preparedness, and major water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

“The district is also facing several significant capital needs, particularly in its water and wastewater enterprise funds, where several major infrastructure projects remain underfunded,” McElhenie said.

As those projects move forward, he said, the district could eventually need to use general fund dollars to support utility projects.

“Preserving the financial stability of the general fund is therefore an important consideration, not only for general fund operations such as fire protection and emergency preparedness, but also for maintaining the district’s overall financial flexibility should future enterprise fund financing needs arise,” McElhenie said. “For those reasons, staff believes it is fiscally prudent to avoid awarding a construction contract before the project is fully funded.” 

If the board chooses a bid extension, Newton Construction & Management would be asked to keep its proposal valid for up to six months. During that time, Skate Cambria could continue fundraising while staff confirms grant requirements and determines whether the project can move forward without additional district funding.

If the contractor declines the extension, the district will likely have to reject the bids and rebid the project later. Staff acknowledged that option would “delay the construction of the skate park and the associated community benefits,” and that supporters “will be disappointed by the delay.”

Awarding the contract now would allow construction to begin sooner and avoid potential future cost increases. 

The latest setback comes after years of work from Skate Cambria supporters who fought to bring a recreational space back to the community.

In 2024, Skate Cambria celebrated reaching its fundraising goal after years of community donations and securing the $600,000 California State Parks grant. Project manager Juli Amodei said at the time that the skate park would return to its longtime Main Street location, preserving a popular gathering place while providing a recreational space for local youth and visitors.

New Times reached out to Amodei but did not receive a response before publication. ∆

This article appears in July 9-16, 2026.