Colfax is finally getting its skatepark, and the small Placer County city is throwing a party to mark it. The roughly 8,000-square-foot concrete park next to the Colfax baseball field on Parkhill Drive holds its grand opening Saturday, October 3, from 3 to 8 p.m., with free admission, professional skateboard demonstrations, food, music, vendors, giveaways and a kids zone with bounce houses.
The celebration caps an effort that took more than a decade to pull off, according to the Sacramento Bee. Colfax Mayor Caroline McCully said the opening represents, in her words, the culmination of years of work and determination, per the same report. The project traces back to 2015, when Ty Conners, then serving as the Colfax station commander for the Placer County Sheriff's Office, began fielding repeated complaints from residents about youth skateboarding on public sidewalks and streets, according to Gold Mountain California News Media. Conners went on to spearhead the project for more than a decade through the nonprofit Colfax Green Machine, the Bee reports.
A Decade of Delays and Rising Costs
What started as a grassroots push by a local law enforcement officer evolved into a complicated municipal undertaking that nearly stalled more than once. Estimated construction costs climbed from an initial projection of $444,000 to more than $674,000 by 2024, Gold Mountain California News Media reported in March 2024.
To keep the project from collapsing under its own budget, the Colfax City Council rejected initial construction bids in January 2026 and instead used Sourcewell to award a $543,733 contract to Newline Skateparks that April, according to the same outlet. Public financing for the park drew from a $175,000 Community Development Block Grant from the city, $100,000 in city Park and Recreation funds, and $75,000 in Quimby Act park dedication fees from Placer County, per city records cited by Gold Mountain.
Community Donations Filled the Gaps
Private support filled in where public money couldn't stretch. The project drew donations of funding, materials, equipment, labor and services, with major supporters including Teichert, A&A Concrete Supply, Robinson Sand and Gravel, River City Rentals, Triton Construction, Woodward Tahoe, Calcima and Skate4Concrete, according to the Bee.
That in-kind support showed up most visibly on June 3, 2026, when local aggregate suppliers and haulers staged a coordinated dirt parade, trucking in roughly 550 cubic yards of donated fill dirt to shape the site ahead of the June 8 groundbreaking, historiccolfax.com reported. Construction hit its next milestone on July 14, 2026, when crews sprayed the first shotcrete layer into the main bowl, establishing the park's permanent riding surface over rebar mesh, per the same local outlet.
What's Inside the New Park
Newline Skateparks designed the facility with a contained multi-level bowl, a street section, a landing zone and a spectator area with shade structures and picnic tables, according to a November 2024 report from Gold Mountain California News Media. The layout is built to accommodate skateboards, BMX bikes, scooters and roller skates, and the city has said residents may use skateboards, scooters, BMX bikes, roller skates and other appropriate wheeled equipment at the site, per the Bee.
The park sits on part of a 2.7-acre city parcel at 101 Parkhill Drive, known as Lyons Park, redeveloping the site of the former Colfax community swimming pool next to the baseball field and the Lions Splash Park, according to a Placer County memorandum.
Pro Skaters Headline Saturday's Demos
Saturday's festivities will feature professional skateboard demonstrations from Mike McGill, John Worthington and Miles Blackman, who are expected to meet local skaters and fans after their runs, per the Bee's report. McGill is credited with inventing the McTwist and is known for his place in skateboarding's Bones Brigade era, the outlet notes.
Liability Rules Could Shape Enforcement
How closely the city enforces safety gear rules may carry legal weight. Under California Health and Safety Code Section 115800, public entities operating unsupervised skateparks may receive qualified liability protection subject to multiple statutory requirements, including requirements for helmets, elbow pads and knee pads. For certain unsupervised facilities, an ordinance and signs at the facility are also required. The California Senate Judiciary Committee analysis also identifies age and type of riding as relevant statutory conditions and categorizes skateboarding as a hazardous recreational activity subject to statutory immunity under state law.
For now, the project that began in 2015 has brought a skatepark to the former pool lot, with community donations supporting a weekend celebration organizers hope will turn the site into a lasting community gathering space.
