EAGLE MOUNTAIN — For a town that has a median age of 13, this park is more than welcome.

The Eagle Mountain City Council has awarded a bid contract to American Ramp Co. to construct a skate park in Pony Express Memorial Park. The 11,000-square-foot park will cost the city about $350,000, which also includes landscaping and amenities.

Construction should begin sometime in the next few weeks and the park is expected to be finished by the beginning of September, said Linda Peterson, Eagle Mountain spokeswoman.

City officials met with residents in February to get a feel for what the residents wanted and find volunteers to be on the Eagle Mountain City Skate Park Committee. The committee, comprised of three youths and four adults who all skate as well as city staff, met with the bidders, tried out the equipment and visited other area skate parks, Peterson said.

"We reviewed everything with them and the city engineers," said John Hendrickson, Eagle Mountain city manager. "They felt this would be a real good park so they made a recommendation to the City Council and they accepted it."

Hendrickson said American Ramp Co. offered a different approach than the other bidders, with features that can be moved and the ability to expand or redesign the park at any time. The park will be on top of a concrete slab with the features, which are steel and bolted down without the bolts exposed. The park will cater mostly to novice and intermediate riders, but some difficult areas of the park will also be provided for skaters who have more experience, he said.

"It's fairly low maintenance, not more so than a regular skate park, that's the reason they went with it," he said. "It fit our budget and capability."

Another skate park is planned for The Ranches area of Eagle Mountain, but it is still a bit in the future, Hendrickson said. The city is also expanding other parks and preserving corridors for trails to keep open space. He added that the city was working on connecting a paved trail from The Ranches to the skate park in the city center. For now though, officials are happy they could afford the skate park.

"We're excited to see something come in for the kids," he said.

Recently, city officials also approved a mountain bike park in The Ranches with trails and an area for jumps. The bike park should also be completed by September or October.

---

E-mail: csmith@desnews.com