Turlock takes up skate park, old police site

Votes by the City Council on Tuesday evening could launch the design of a new skate park and approve the sale of the old police headquarters to the Turlock Irrigation District.

TID, which has its offices just to the south of the police site on and near Palm Street, has agreed to pay $2.61 million for the property. It was vacated when Turlock completed its Public Safety Center on Broadway in 2013.

The purchase would allow TID to consolidate water operations from satellite locations, as well as relocate some of its power functions, spokesman Calvin Curtin said.

The skate park issue is related to this. It was built on the police property in 2004 but would not remain if TID takes over. The city plans to move it to the much larger Donnelly Park, about half a mile to the northwest, reusing some of the concrete ramps and other features rather than building something entirely new.

The estimated $240,000 cost would be covered by some of the sale proceeds from TID.

The council will consider a $28,800 contract with Wormhoudt Inc. of Santa Cruz for design of the new skate park.

“The consultant will host community meetings to gather and incorporate local stakeholder feedback to ensure the community has an opportunity to shape the park in the manner they want,” a city staff report says.

The original project is the Brandon Koch Memorial Skate Park, named for a former skater who died of cancer. The name will remain.

The park was built with the help of a state grant that stipulated that it must remain until Aug. 25 of this year.

The council voted in 2013 for the Donnelly site. This 40-acre park already features a lake, an elaborate play structure and other attractions.

Also on Tuesday’s agenda:

▪ A 10-year agreement to send Turlock’s trash to the Stanislaus County landfill and waste-to-electricity plant near Crows Landing. The city had switched to a Merced County landfill in 2013 because it cost less than Stanislaus. The city’s staff said the new agreement would add slightly to customer bills but would provide valuable services such as recycling and household hazardous waste collection.

▪ A discussion on “building on the current relationship” between the city and California State University, Stanislaus, as the agenda puts it. Turlock has been home to the school since 1960.

This story was originally published April 27, 2015 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Turlock takes up skate park, old police site."