FALLBROOK - A group of residents dedicated to building a skate park in Fallbrook is mobilizing to raise money for the long-awaited haven for the town's skateboarding youth, two members said Wednesday.

Mandy Miller, a spokesperson for the Fallbrook skate park committee, said the goal rests at about $1 million - a high price tag, but one that Miller said is attainable with some help from local businesses and the county.

At a meeting last week to brainstorm fundraising ideas, she said, "There were so many people who were raising their hands with ideas - a community garage sale, a car wash, a big event with skate ramps and food.

"Mostly, the meeting was to get more people involved, and get them to volunteer and be on committees, so we're involving all these parents and kids," she said. "If all of us are involved, we can do this."

The group has raised only $12,000 in the last few years for the park, spending a portion of that on designing the park and having a parcel surveyed at the Ingold Community Sports Park, where the skate park is tentatively planned, Miller said.

Proponents have said that the stalled fundraising efforts were a result of waning support for the idea for the last several years and a reason why the group had lost momentum.

But the committee now says it is approaching its new fundraising ideas with fresh energy and a growing roster of supporters, and that, with the right strings pulled, the money could be in hand within the next few years.

In order to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, the group will have to rely on businesses in Fallbrook, Miller said, adding that several have already pledged to donate a portion of their profits for the cause.

"The idea was, let's approach more stores and see if they'd be willing to do the same thing," said Miller.

Another idea was to establish a temporary skate park.

"There's nowhere safe and organized for kids to skate in Fallbrook," she said. "The biggest issue is where we could put it. I think we're going to compile a list and approach landowners that have little sections that aren't being used."

She said her husband, longtime skate park proponent Bondy Miller, and another member of the committee have experience building wooden half-pipes and other features that could be integrated into a temporary park.

Fallbrook resident April Czerwiec said Wednesday that she became involved with the skate park committee because she would like to have a safe, community-approved place for her 14-year-old son to skate.

"It would give the skateboarders a place to go where they would be wearing helmets and maybe some other safety gear, it would get them off the streets, and it would keep them from damaging property and shopping areas, when they do their jumps and their slides," said Czerwiec. "I know the businesses don't like them jumping off the sidewalks and that kind of stuff. A skate park would help."

She added that the drive to raise what may sound like an insurmountable sum could succeed if it gets the right help from the right people.

"I really do think it can happen," Czerwiec said. "For one thing, most of the towns surrounding us have one. It's become a very popular sport. With some help from Bill Horn's office and some intense fundraising, I really do think it could happen."

The committee will hold another public meeting at 7 p.m. Sept. 17 at the senior center off Heald Lane.

- Contact staff writer Tom Pfingsten at (760) 740-3516 or tpfingsten@nctimes.com.