A pump track and skate park concept in Salinas inches forward after years of dreaming.

A BMX pump track and skate park has been on the radar of the Monterey County Board of Supervisors since 2017. On April 16, the board approved moving the project to the Salinas Regional Soccer Complex from an original proposed location, on Laurel Drive near Carr Lake.

“There is only one other skatepark in a city of 160,000 – a city with a very young population,” said County Supervisor Luis Alejo, who represents Salinas.

The concept features a 1.7-acre skate and bike park. The bike trails will go through the existing landscapes and trees. The skate park will have two 4,000-square-foot areas: a flow area where skaters can practice their tricks on bumps and bowled surfaces, and a street area geared toward all skill levels.

In 2021, the county, along with the City of Salinas, Blue Zones Project and the Salinas Regional Sports Authority applied for funding from the California Department of Parks and Recreation Regional Park Program via Proposition 68, but the project wasn’t selected.

County staff and the Sports Authority revised the idea in 2023 and worked on a plan to integrate it into the soccer complex. The park will be visible from the road, with access to bathrooms, parking and an existing multi-use trail system.

The project has a price tag of $3 million, still unfunded. The sports complex has grass soccer fields, walking paths and exercise stations. It’s in the process of diversifying to also include areas for beach volleyball and a basketball court.

“It’s becoming really a community hub, and a mental health and wellness [facility],” says Jonathan De Anda, the soccer complex’s manager.