The Isla Vista Recreation and Park District (IVRPD) Finance Committee recommended Wednesday that the district fund a new project that will make bored local skaters super-stoked. Brah.

Finance Committee members Logan Green and Alisha Dahlstrom proposed that the IVRPD allocate $317,000 toward construction of a skate park at Estero Park and created a plan to revise the current policy and prices for park rentals. Derek Johnson, IVRPD general manager, said that all decisions reached at the Finance Committee meeting, which was held at 8 a.m. in the IVRPD office, will be ratified or rejected by the board of directors at its first meeting in May.

Green and Dahlstrom urged the board to use funds from Propositions 12 and 40 – passed in 2000 and 2002, respectively – to aid in the construction of I.V.’s first designated skating area, located at Estero Park.

Johnson said the funding from both propositions is set aside for park improvements and recreational equipment, but he said a good portion of the money has already been used to install a climbing boulder at Trigo-Pasado Park.

Johnson said he estimated that it would take approximately $500,000 to construct the skate park, with some of the money coming from the remaining proposition funding. He said renowned skate park creator Mike Taylor has offered to design the park for free.

“We could also apply for about $250,000 in grants,” Johnson said.

Green said he thinks building the skate park would be an important first step in the IVRPD’s overall plans for Estero Park, which also include the construction of a community center and a new soccer field.

“We want to do big things that excite people and get used,” Green said. “If we get the soccer field and the skateboard park, we’re halfway to our vision for Estero.”

The Finance Committee also decided to cut the cost of renting Anisq’ Oyo’ Park in half for student and nonprofit groups, and raised the rental price by 20 percent for non-residents in all I.V. parks. Johnson said the IVRPD has had the same rental rate policy since 1992, and he said the board often lowers or waives fees for certain groups that cannot afford to pay the full amount.

Currently, events with less than 300 people cost $100 for a five-hour park rental, while events of more than 300 people cost $200 per five-hour period. Many events, Johnson said, require the organizers to purchase more than one five-hour block of park time.

Johnson said he anticipates an upcoming rush of park rentals for family graduation barbecues and celebrations, and he said he hopes the increased rental price for non-residential park users will help generate extra revenue for the district.

The committee also decided to honor Johnson’s request to add a $17 per hour electricity charge, and a fee of $15 per hour to cover the costs of a district employee supervising all events of more than 300 people.

“When we start having events of 300 or more, we have an obligation to supervise events on our property,” Johnson said. “We should have someone there to kind of help them have a good event [and] if they’re breaking the rules, the host will notify us.”