New Santa Ana | Tag Archives: skate park

North Santa Ana has a new homegrown skate park

Posted on March 29, 2022 by Editor Posted in Development, Neighborhood Associations, Parks and Recreation, Santa Ana, Skateboards 2 Comments

North Santa Ana NIMBYs stopped a luxury apartment development at 2525 N. Main St. The office building that was at that location was burned by transients and eventually had to be demolished.

The enterprising locals have turned the empty lot into a skate park of their own creation complete with several homemade ramps.

The City of Santa Ana would never put a city skate park at Santiago Park because of course the NIMBYs would not have it. But now that is exactly what they are stuck with – but worse it is an illicit and unpermitted skate park.

By now the lot should be a luxury apartment development that would have generated millions of dollars in annual tax revenue for the City of Santa Ana.

The NIMBYs won the development battle but it was a pyrrhic victory. But the locals are sure enjoying their new skate park!

Centennial Park Skate Park renamed after recently deceased former City Councilmember Pat McGuigan

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Editor Posted in Civic Affairs, Parks and Recreation, Santa Ana Leave a comment

SANTA ANA, CA – On Tuesday, September 17, the Santa Ana City Council voted to rename Centennial Park Skate Park to “Pat McGuigan Skate Park” in honor of former City Councilmember Patricia A. McGuigan who recently passed away of natural causes at the age of 85.

“During her tenure, Councilmember McGuigan made a lasting impact on the wellbeing of Santa Ana residents,” said Mayor Pulido. “It’s our duty to preserve her legacy within the community that she cared for so much.”

Councilmember McGuigan, the City of Santa Ana’s first councilwoman, was one of the longest-serving councilmembers in Orange County history. She served on the Santa Ana City Council from 1981 to 1992, was reappointed in 1993 to fill a vacancy, and retired in 2002 after two successful elections. McGuigan served during a time period when the City’s Latino and Asian populations increased significantly, and she is often credited for building relationships with the City’s new immigrant communities. In 1994, she created the Asian-Pacific Advisory Council of Santa Ana, which she led for eight years.

“Pat dedicated so much of her time to improving this community’s quality of life,” said Mayor Pro Tem Villegas. “She played an important role in the opening of Centennial Park Skate Park back in 2002 and it is with great pride that we are renaming the same park in her honor.”

McGuigan was also instrumental in the opening of the Salgado Community Center, which was the first of its kind on Santa Ana’s west side, providing youth with a gymnasium, pool, and game room. She was a member of Santa Ana’s Historic Resources Commission, the Orange County Senior Citizens Advisory Council and the Soroptimist International of Santa Ana-Tustin, in which she served as a director. McGuigan was also an advocate in creating Santa Ana’s Downtown Artist Village.

“Pat McGuigan was my Councilmember for Ward 6 for many years,” said Councilmember Iglesias . “She was such a people person and I will always admire her for what she stood for. Being the first women elected to City Council, she has always been my role model. My sincere condolences to the family. She will be deeply missed.”

The Santa Ana City Council is able to name and rename City facilities based on guidelines established in the Santa Ana Municipal Code (SAMC). Pat McGuigan Skate Park meets the fourth criteria under SAMC criteria: “A name that recognizes a person or family who made a significant contribution to the wellbeing of the City, including City Council, Commissioners, Officers and employees of the City, but not anyone who currently holds such position.”

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How about building a skate park and a bmx field at the Santa Ana Lawn Bowling Center?

Posted on August 1, 2010 by Editor Posted in Civic Affairs, Santa Ana, Youth Activities 22 Comments

The director of the Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Agency, Gerardo Mouet, wants to use half of the current Santa Ana Lawn Bowling Center to make money by renting the area for weddings and the like. His department is broke and is trying desperately to come up with ways to increase funding.

I can understand that sentiment, but I think it is an awful idea. This is a unique, large space and we really need to think long and hard about how we can use it to most benefit our residents.

Lawn bowling clearly is a terrible use for this space. I recently spoke to a former Santa Ana Parks and Recreation Commissioner who informed me that at most perhaps two out of the 17 or so lawn bowlers who use the facility actually live here in Santa Ana. Most of them live in Anaheim, Garden Grove, Tustin and Fountain Valley.

Currently, the lawn bowling fields are locked up and unused a majority of the time. I am also told that the lawn bowlers have been trying to kill all the ground squirrels in the area. Not good.

It is past time to say adios to the lawn bowlers. If we are to locate the proposed City dog park at the current SAPD police dog training facility, I think we ought to think about using the lawn bowling area for a skate park on one side and a bmx field on the other side.

Paving over the grass would save our city a lot of water, and would reduce the amount of chemicals that are currently being used in that area.

Where would the money come from? I am told that a skate park designer lives over at the City Place, and he is willing to help us with this project. I believe this would be an ideal project to submit for federal CDBG grants – and we could also partner with existing non-profits.

Santa Ana is the youngest city in Orange County. Isn’t it time to do something great for our young people?

Now I am not naive. I expect push-back. Mouet lives in the Park Santiago Neighborhood. And he has expressed in the past that nothing will happen without consulting the Park Santiago Neighborhood Association. But why is that? They are not elected at large. They represent 1% of our neighborhood and their Board is not diverse.

Santiago Park is not just a neighborhood park. It is a huge park with a lot of distinct features and its is used by residents from all over our city. Mouet should consult with more than just a few busy bodies before making decisions about how this park is used.

Click here to contact the Santa Ana City Council. You can contact City Manager Dave Ream’s assistant, Mark Lawrence, at MLawrence@santa-ana.org.