A crowd of skateboarders and their supporters -- from kids to grandmothers -- watched Tuesday as Bellevue Council voted unanimously to apply for a grant to fund the first phase of a Bayne Park plan that will include the area’s first skate plaza.

Officials hope to create a “multi-generational use” park that will include an upgraded playground, additional parking and bocce courts in addition to the skate plaza.

In the end, the three-phase park project could total some $500,000, with Bellevue responsible for 15 percent of the cost. Officials previously had said that the borough’s share could be contributed in the form of labor, and new director of administrative services Doug Sample said Bellevue also will approach private foundations and other sources for funding.

The first phase, estimated to cost about $185,000, includes an expanded parking lot -- adding 22 spaces -- construction of one-third of the skate plaza, and some handicapped-accessibility features.

Phase 2 would add another third of the skate plaza along with a playground pad upgrade, the bocce courts, a utility building and a restroom.

In the final phase, the plaza would be completed and new walkways, lighting and landscaping installed.

Sample said that each phase of the project was designed to stand alone, making the various areas of the park useable even while the project progressed.

The skate plaza itself would measure about 14,000 square feet, according to Katie Hale, who has been working on the Community Development Block Grant application.

Council member Linda Woshner asked that funds be dedicated to upgrading playground equipment so that the park remains an attraction for small children and their parents.

Sample said that the current basketball courts will be removed, and the skate plaza will occupy part of that area.

Council member Mark Panichella was absent, and Lisa Blaney-Stewart participated by phone.