What was once an estimated $80,000 gap has since widened to more than $300,000 for local skateboarding enthusiasts who’ve been trying to build a skatepark in Cambria for the past five years. Now, they have six months to close that gap.
Skate Cambria Project Manager Juli Amodei told New Times that as of May 28, the group is on track to reach the hefty goal by October—a goal that was placed upon it by the Cambria Community Services District (CSD) board in late April.
“We are dedicated to getting this project out to bid and across a finish line,” Amodei said via email.
But some members of Skate Cambria told the CSD board on April 24 that they were tired of all the delays—not only after four years of fundraising to reach the project’s goal of about $1.2 million, but also after the board considered moving the project’s location in March because of the funding gap.
“I’m perplexed why there’s still questions about this,” resident Diane Brook told the board. “Time is of the essence.”
During the meeting, the board announced that the skatepark project was now about $300,000, if not more, in the hole, and board members considered contingency costs for Skate Cambria to meet before the project could break ground. These contingencies would cover any unexpected costs that could come up during construction of the park—funding that District Manager Matthew McElhenie said the district would otherwise be responsible for.
According to the staff report, the board could decide on contingencies from zero percent to 20, ranging from Skate Cambria needing to fundraise an additional $200,000 to $500,000 to cover potential cost overruns and inflation.
Since 2020, the project has raised $1.2 million—$178,000 from the district, about $378,000 raised by Skate Cambria, and a California State Parks 50-50 grant for $600,000. The district placed the same amount in its general reserve funds to match the state grant, which would be returned to it when the skatepark construction started.
Board member Michael Thomas spoke in favor of a lower contingency of $300,000 to get the project moving faster and allow the district to get its general fund dollars back for other projects.
“We need to do everything within our power to make this happen sooner or later,” Thomas said.
Board member Tom Gray disagreed and thought $500,000 was more suitable because prices would probably increase with inflation since the project would likely break ground in a year. He said he didn’t want the district to be held liable if costs were more than anticipated.
One member of the audience spoke up and said they felt like the district was throwing Skate Cambria “under the bus.”
“Gosh, we are also putting ourselves out on the line to commit to this,” they said.
Board President Debra Scott replied, “You don’t have anything that says you’re going to have to pay no matter what—we do … I hope you understand that we have to look at what’s legal for us.”
After some back and forth between board members Thomas and Gray, the board decided in a 4-1 vote to compromise with a 12.5 percent contingency, challenging Skate Cambria to raise $329,000 in six months before the project can go out for bid and start building.
Skate Cambria Project Manager Amodei told New Times via email that fundraising efforts include an upcoming chili cook-off hosted by the Cambria Fire Department on June 14 and a “$100 Challenge” featured on the group’s website. Δ
This article appears in May 29 – Jun 8, 2025.
I’m really happy to hear this news! Let’s work together to get this done soon, so we can enjoy some fun times again. I know we’ve all been looking forward to it!