SkateCity rises again

SkateCity Indoor Skateboard Park closed its doors in early December. It remained closed for most of Christmas break, normally one of the busiest times of the year for the park. New owner Mark Hill raced to purchase the park and reopened in time for the tail end of the break. He said business is already back on track.

"The crowds have been great," Hill said. "We were open for the last two days of Christmas break, and we had about 110 kids in here in the two days."

SkateCity has been in operation for a decade at 4915 Steptoe St., No. 600, on the corner of Tropicana Avenue east of Boulder Highway. A year ago Tori Cautela bought the park where her son practiced when she found the previous owner was selling it .

Cautela renovated the park just before the 2010 winter break, removing some of the vertical spaces and ramps to make it more of a street park. One of Hill's first orders of business was returning some of the verticals.

"We're trying to find a happy medium between street and transition skating," Hill said. "We're also trying to make the place friendlier to bike riders and bring the skate boarders and bike riders together again."

Under Cautela's ownership, the park hosted many special events, including national competitions. Hill hopes to do special events each month and wasted no time in setting up his first, a benefit for Keaton Belliston, who was robbed and shot Jan. 3 at Mountain Ridge Skate Park. Doctors do not expect the 18-year-old to walk again, and the money was raised to help Belliston and his family.

The event drew in skaters from across the valley who wanted to lend a hand to one of their own and see changes that have been made to the indoor skate park.

"It's the first time I've been here for a long time," said 17-year-old Dante Staten. "I used to go to the original one all the time. "

Staten doesn't have a driver's license yet, and the park is a not an easy jaunt from his northwest valley home.

"I like the park," Staten said. "It's far, but I'll definitely be back here sooner or later."

Hill runs two franchises of Industrial Rideshop, a skateboard supply store with locations in the Meadows mall, 4300 Meadows Lane, and the Galleria at Sunset mall, 1300 W. Sunset Road.

"I've been in the skateboard industry for about eight years," Hill said. "When I first moved to Las Vegas, SkateCity was the place I'd go to skate. It was a big part of my youth."

Hill was aware of when the park was up for sale previously, but he wasn't in a position to buy it then.

"This time it was a great opportunity to step in and keep it going for the community," he said. "I plan to keep SkateCity going and keep the skate and bike scene alive."

Contact Sunrise/Whitney View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 380-4532.