By Joyce Moed

Following the trend of communities throughout the country, the city of Hollywood will be rolling in a new first - a skate park.

"We have not had a skate park before," said Jack Mathison, assistant parks and recreation and cultural arts director for the city of Hollywood. "There's been a lot of demand in the community."

The funding for the park comes from a city bond issue approved a few years ago. Commissioners approved $40,001 to buy used skate park equipment from the city of Plantation, after it was realized that the park was not a good fit for that city.

"Plantation only used [the equipment] for about three months," Mathison said. "It was like getting a demonstration car. There's still a warranty, and it's very top-of-the-line equipment."

The equipment includes ramps, rails and jumps, Mathison said.

The skate park will be located at Hollywood West Park, on the 6700 block of Garfield Street. The entire park will be going through a facelift and name change, and will be known as the Boulevard Heights Community Center, said Terrence Comiskey, senior project manager in the department of design and construction management for the city of Hollywood. The skate park is being designed to be a part of the facelift, as a way to better suit the needs of local residents seeking recreation close to home. The skate park will be in a fenced area of the Center, Comiskey said.

The skate park is still in the planning stages. It will be a year or more before it is up and operational, Mathison said. In the meantime the equipment is being temporarily stored in the Public Works department, Comiskey said.

"Right now plans are in design and development," Comiskey said. "Construction will start in January 2007, and it should be completed in December 2007."

Although the skate park will be a new venture for the city of Hollywood, it's not the first location that will provide a venue for skaters.

"We did build two roller hockey courts in Stand Goldman Park in '99," Comiskey said. "That was the first facility we built for skating."

Though the courts were designed for roller hockey enthusiasts, they regularly attract residents just looking for a place to skate, Comiskey said.

Mathison expects the new skate park to be a popular attraction for the city of Hollywood.

"It's been asked for by a lot kids, and a lot of parents," he said.