The cost of Kelso's yet-to-be-built skateboard park has ballooned to $405,000, prompting two city councilmen on Tuesday to suggest scrapping the project.

Councilmen Joe Wheeler and Dan Myers were in the minority, however. The council voted 5-2 to pledge a total of $163,000 toward the concrete bowl skate park. The council previously had agreed to contribute up to $85,000.

Mayor David Futcher said the No. 1 question people ask him is if Kelso really will get a skate park.

"We've been working on it and talking about it so long, people don't think it's gonna happen," he said. "And without the city's help, it may not."

The pledge of additional city money is necessary for Kelso to remain eligible for a $150,000 state Youth Athletic Facilities grant that requires matching funds, Community Development Director Mike Kerins told the council. Grant winners will be announced March 22.

The city also has accumulated $75,000 in donations from outside sources, including Kelso Rotary and the Tony Hawk Foundation.

In 2004, the city estimated the skateboard park would cost in the mid-$200,000 range, Kerins said. But in the three years since Grindline Skate Parks created a design for Kelso's 10,000-square-foot park, the cost per square foot has jumped from $25 to $35, Kerins said. Add in "peripheral" costs and the project now tallies $405,000, he said.

Councilman Todd McDaniel spoke in favor of chipping in more city dollars, saying costs would continue to rise the longer the city waited.

"It's for the kids. How long's it gonna last? At least 50 years," McDaniel said. "When we're not here, what kind of community are we gonna leave?"

Wheeler called the skate park a "great project" but said the city had other financial priorities to take care of. Myers agreed, saying the council should step back and re-evaluate its priorities. When he was running for office last year, many constituents told him they opposed the skate park, Myers said. Also, weren't there recreational opportunities the city could provide that would appeal to a larger population than just skateboarders? he asked.

Councilman Rick Roberson wondered why so many other communities manage to build skateboard parks but Kelso can't seem to pull it together. He supported spending money for the kids, he said.

Futcher pointed out that even though the project's cost has risen, the city's share remains less than half of the total.

"I think we're getting a great deal for our kids," he said.

The skate park is slated to be built at the corner of Minor Road and Burcham Street, a site visible from Interstate 5.