Although building a new skate park and repurposing the existing facility didn’t make it onto the $10 million park bond that will be on the November ballot, the Issaquah City Council voted to move forward with including a new park in the 2014 budget.

Parks and Recreation Manager Brian Berntsen said this has been a priority since 2010.

The secluded location of the existing skate park has encouraged not-so-savory activity after dark, and during school breaks. Drug users and homeless youths tend to frequent the park, which discourages kids who actually want to skate from using the venue.

Berntsen said the new park will be built on city property, yet to be identified. Cost is estimated at $350,000 with $200,000 of the cost coming from the parks mitigation fund. The remainder will come from the real estate excise tax fund. A total of $50,000 is needed for demolition and repurposing the old park, which was built in 1997.

The next step will be for the park board and the mayor to establish a citizen’s advisory committee consisting of both park board members, perhaps representatives from the Issaquah School District and members of the skating community.

The committee will hold three public meetings. The vision is to have the skate park in a highly visible area, have it be accessible for teens and pre-teens, designed to accommodate all levels of skaters and be safe and family-friendly.

Council member Tola Marts said it’s important to have bowls for the skaters. He was thrilled to see this issue move forward.

“This unleashes a lot of enthusiasm,” he said.

People can share their ideas and thoughts on Twitter at #isskate.

The Rainier Trail passes by the Issaquah Skateboard Park.