HOUGHTON – Two main spots are being considered for the location of a planned outdoor concrete skate park in Houghton.

The Houghton City Council will hold a public hearing on the skate park at its next City Council meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. The final choice of location will be up to the council.

The Skate Park Committee’s top option would be to locate it before the walkway at the Kestner Waterfront Park, City Manager Eric Waara said. The Planning Commission has backed a location at the East Houghton Waterfront Park.

“(Kestner is) more of a kiddie park, (East Houghton is) more of a tween, teenager park,” Waara said.

Alex Aho, who is heading the skate committee, listed the Kestner and East Houghton options as the two best during a fundraiser for the park in March. The city had also earlier suggested a location on city-owned property at the top of Portage Street.

At a city budget hearing Wednesday, Waara said Houghton Rotary has been talking about a splash park for kids on the west side of Huron Creek, towards the Chutes & Ladders area of the park.

Aho has estimated the park will have to raise about $125,000, based on an estimate from the Tony Hawk Foundation of $40 per square foot.

Choosing a location will help the committee to create a design for the park, Waara said.

“You need a rendering to get people to understand what you’re going to do, but you can’t do that until you get a location,” Waara said. “They’d like it there, the city thinks it’s best over here, and ultimately it’s the city’s decision. The Planning Commission thought it was worth holding a public hearing to hear what the public thinks and to do it in the bright light of day.”

At Wednesday’s meeting, which discussed projects in the Tax Increment Finance Authority and Downtown Development Authority districts, the council also discussed additional railing work at the big decks on Lakeshore Drive. Waara will be reviewing plans this week for the project, which he hopes will start in early July.

The city will also work on the second phase of Ridge Road after the start of the new budget year in July, as well as clearing new roads in the area behind Shopko.