By Jason Hoppin
On Dec. 17th, the County and several partners, including prominent local philanthropists, broke ground on a new skateable feature at Seacliff Village Neighborhood Park, which will include a reference to Aptos’ famed “cement ship.”
Made possible by generous donations from Richard Novak and Rowland Rebele, the new, accessible skateable art feature will soon be added to the popular park, which opened in 2015 and overlooks Monterey Bay. The new skateable feature includes a scale version of the S.S. Palo Alto, and is expected to be completed in early 2020.
“Since opening four years ago, Seacliff Village Park has become a destination for children and families from across Santa Cruz County,” Supervisor Zach Friend said. “I’m pleased to be able to work the community to bring this project here.”
Novak and Rebele are providing funding for the new feature, which is also the result of the dedicated work of Tricia Proctor and Marie Martorella, local residents who have worked tirelessly to identify a safe site where youth can skateboard and focus on the positivity of the sport.
“This project is the culmination of years of hard work on behalf of the youth of Santa Cruz County,” Proctor and Martorella said. “We’re beyond excited to see it come to fruition and look forward to seeing the project through to completion.”
Premier designers Mark and Danyel Scott of Dreamland Skateparks provided design input and overall expertise; furthermore, Dreamland has partnered with Deborah Bredy of Bredy Construction for the actual building phase. The project is being facilitated and managed as a collaborative effort between Friends of Santa Cruz County Parks, Dreamland Skateparks, Bredy Construction, Proctor and Martorella.
“We’re overjoyed to help make this public-private project a reality,” said Mariah Roberts, executive director of Friends of Santa Cruz County Park. “This will be an incredible asset for children of all abilities throughout Santa Cruz County.”
A lifelong Capitola resident, Richard Novak founded iconic skateboard company NHS Inc. in 1972, which now employs more than 150 people locally. Richard is dedicated to empowering local youth through school scholarships, local non-profit organizations, and encouraging outdoor recreational activities.
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A longtime Aptos resident, Rowland Rebele and his wife have given back to the community in numerous ways, including the Rebele Family Shelter, UCSC’s Institute of Arts and Sciences and, most recently, funding a youth coordinator role at Episcopal Church of St. John in Aptos.
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Visit www.countyparkfriends.org for more information.