After three years of hard work and dedication, the Scotty Lapp Foundation proudly celebrates the grand opening of the Scotty Lapp Memorial Skatepark at Corte Madera Town Park. On Feb. 12, one day before the third anniversary of former Redwood student Scotty Lapp’s ski accident, family, friends and community gathered to honor his legacy and the newly renovated skatepark.
Amy Lapp, Scotty’s mother and co-founder of the Scotty Lapp Foundation, shares her emotions now that the skatepark is officially open to the public.
“[I] can’t believe it. Because we’ve wanted this for so long, it all happened so fast and we’re just incredibly excited. It’s cool to know how happy Scotty would be that [the] park is there [which] makes us really happy,” Amy Lapp said.
Scotty Lapp grew up skating at the Corte Madera Town Park and dreamed of building a skatepark close to Tahoe City, where he moved in 2021. Tragically, he never got the chance to see it come to life due to his sudden ski accident, leaving Amy Lapp motivated to make his aspirations a reality. Amy Lapp reflects on the surreal nature of having the park fully open to the public after she set the goal of building it in his honor.
“It’s awesome to have [a] concrete, tangible item that we can have Scotty’s name [on] and has everything Scotty loves. Minutes after he passed away, I started saying that we needed to build a skatepark, and three years later, almost to the day of his accident, a skatepark was built. It means everything to me [and has] kept me going these last three years. It wasn’t just me; it was [the Scotty Lapp Foundation] that worked so hard [along with] our family,” Amy Lapp said.
Amy Lapp shares how the skatepark is for all ages and levels, allowing everyone to skate and enjoy being together, something Scotty Lapp valued.
“Everybody can skate in this park. It’s not just for really advanced skaters or very beginner skaters. It’s for everybody, which is what we wanted, and that’s what Scotty loved. He loved having everybody doing something together,” Amy Lapp said.
Parks and Recreation Director Tim Barry has worked with the Scotty Lapp Foundation for the past three years. He emphasizes the benefits of having the skatepark open for athletes and community members.
“[Those] who had concerns about the noise are happy that it [isn’t] as noisy as it [was before]. It is truly a very amazing project and a beautiful part of the Corte Madera Town Park,” Barry said.
With the success of the Corte Madera skatepark, the Scotty Lapp Foundation continues to work on a permanent skatepark in Tahoe City. Amy Lapp acknowledges that building from the ground up is far more difficult as they continue the production process.
“[The] Scotty Lapp Foundation is still working on building our Tahoe City skatepark. The temporary skatepark we had up for the last three summers had to come down, [and] Tahoe City is again without a skatepark. It was much easier to build a skatepark in Corte Madera because there was already a skatepark there,” Amy Lapp said.
Jason Lapp, father of Scotty Lapp and co-founder of the Scotty Lapp Foundation, recognizes what the opening of the Scotty Lapp Memorial Skatepark means as it connects to the free-spirited, bright person Scotty was.
[The Scotty Lapp Memorial Skatepark signifies that] Scotty’s energy, fun vibes, and spirit will live on forever,” Jason Lapp said.
To donate towards the Scotty Lapp Foundation, visit https://scottylapp.org/ for updates on their website and more. Most importantly, make sure to stop by the Corte Madera Town Park to check out the official Scotty Lapp Memorial Skatepark and follow along with more updates and fundraising to allow Scotty Lapp’s dreams of building a skatepark in Tahoe City to come true.
