MENDOCINO Co., 7/10/24 – Round Valley is one step closer to building a skatepark after the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Tuesday to begin the process of investigating options to transfer county-owned land near the Covelo Airport to the Round Valley Lions Club, which maintains Covelo Community Park.
It’s the first part of a dream finally coming to fruition since the community started advocating in 2022 to provide local youth a place to call their own. “It felt like we were finally being seen by the whole county,” says Eileen Russell, media coordinator for the project, on the proposal finally being brought to the board. “We’ve been working towards many different checkpoints throughout this project, from getting a fiscal sponsor, getting the community on board, getting a skatepark designer, getting funds and grants, and getting land. It felt like we were in the beginning stages of the project for a while, and now we’re finally getting into the middle.”
Supervisor John Hashack introduced the idea to his fellow supervisors on Tuesday, stating that the “community lacks recreational activities for the youth of Round Valley.” And while the Round Valley Library plays a critical role in providing youth activities in the community, there are no designated outdoor areas for youth to recreate and socialize under the guidance of dedicated adult mentors outside of school.
In addition to lacking youth activities, Round Valley struggles with various socioeconomic challenges. Organizers of the project cite the valley’s isolation (the nearest city, Ukiah, is over an hour drive away) and lack of economic opportunities, especially after the closure of the Louisiana Pacific lumber mill over 30 years ago, as major factors in youth finding little to do in the area. The community has struggled to rebuild economically since the closure of the mill, providing scant economic opportunity for residents to work where they live. This provides youth with few activities, which makes young people more likely to get involved in gangs, community violence, and substance abuse.
Add on top of that the intergenerational trauma of a diverse Native American community, seven tribes who have formed the confederated Round Valley Indian Tribes, many of whose ancestors were forced to relocate to Round Valley by the US government in the 19th century. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, this type of trauma can manifest in various ways, including substance abuse, depression, domestic violence, child abuse and a lack of hope. Tribal youth are more likely to struggle with academic problems, substance abuse, poverty and suicide.
Russell became involved in the skatepark project after being “deeply saddened” by two murders that took place involving youth in Covelo within a span of three weeks in the spring of 2023. “When an effort to build a skatepark came around, it felt like something concrete I could do for the young people living here.”
“Our community is a mix of tribal members, cowboys and ranchers, farmers, hippies, Latinos and foreign seasonal workers,” says Patricia Mera, project manager for the skatepark. Mera sees the skatepark as an opportunity to bring a diverse community together, while being “a place where kids and families can go outside and get some exercise. It can be a place where teens hang out and meet up with friends. It can be a place where an adult who needs to get the stress of every life out [can do so] by skating. It could be a place where like-minded individuals can meet and not feel alone at home.”
“A skatepark can be a place where a kid who may not be team oriented might be able to focus on his own goals and accomplish those,” Mera adds. “Skateboarding is now in the Olympics. This could be an opportunity to one day have one of our kids from Covelo be able to participate if they had somewhere to practice. Covelo needs a skatepark!”
While the county researches land transfer possibilities, the organizers will begin working later this month with Dreamland Skateparks, the contracted skatepark design company. Mera hopes to break ground on the park in 2025. Learn more about the skatepark and how to get involved at rvskateparkproject.org.
Having been the last Resident Deputy Sheriff who lived in the Round Valley/Covelo area, this is great news.