WATCH a video about the new skate park.

Kent grinds its budget plan to end over five years of anticipation for skaters.

Skate boarders in the Kent area have always had limited legal areas to skate.

Owner of the Kent Evolution skate shop Joe Kastelic gives the kids one of the only places to skate legally.

Kastelic said, “This is the only place they can come without getting kicked out, even though it’s right across from the police station they don’t seem to bother us because it is a business in Kent I Guess”

Skaters are restricted because of the damage that the boards cause when tricks, like grinding, are performed.

This has caused the city and business owners to ban skaters and reduce legal skating areas

Kastelic also said, “Like your not allowed to skate on sidewalks in front of businesses and stuff like that and businesses don’t want to be held liable if kids hurt them selves outside so.”

The constricted skating space in Kent has lead to Kent’s parks and recreation department to install a skate park this spring.

Students agree that this has been a long time coming because of the benefits it gives the kids.

Skateboarder Randy Jenkins said, “There are kids in Kent who cant get rides to skate parks and just don’t have places to skate and that park will give them a good environment to skate in and will keep them off the streets.”

The park is going to be installed on stonewater dr. off of state route 59

Kent plans to complete the park in two stages

the first segment will be a hundred foot long segment starting in late spring.

After the second segment the park will be over five hundred square feet and will include stairs, ramps, and quarter pipes

For kent news net I am Dan Fisher.