Skaters for Portland Skateparks

Okay, I volunteered for the Pier Park skatepark cleanup again. Last year we did graffiti abatement and trash pickup around the park. It’s a four hour gig and your high-schooler can get community service credit if they need it. You can sign up at their website. Last year they had lunch for us and they need to know how many people are planning to show up.

The SPS Lincoln City Skatepark fundraiser brought in $225.78. Thanks to everyone who donated. If you still want to contribute, Rich over at Earth Patrol Media is doing a commemorative t-shirt fundraiser. Donations can also be sent to:

Lincoln City Parks and Rec.
memo: Skaters for Lincoln City Skateparks
c/o Skaters for Lincoln City Skateparks
960 SE Hwy101
PMB 384
Lincoln City OR 97367-2622

Photo of the lovely MC modeling the EPM LC4 benefit shirt courtesy of Earth Patrol Media

Gabriel Park skatepark construction is underway! Does anyone need about 1000 cu. yd. of clay soil? They need to move it. Okay, this is just a picture of a lot of mud, but in the background you can see that the massive, lighted, freestyle-complex has been completed. We’re not sure why they put those nets there though.

Here’s an update from February 26th on Portland’s next two skateparks:

Gabriel had its Development Permit submitted on January 17th and it should have be approved by now. Airspeed will start digging around in Gabriel Park next week!

Ed Benedict’s Development Permit is slated to be submitted in early March and Parks thinks that should have that approved by the end of April. Its sounding like New Line/California Skateparks will be able to develop a much larger sq. footage than the original 8500, although the final size is still being negotiated. They are confident that all the “transitional” elements that were in the final design concept presented to the public will be included in the final design.

So we might have two more skateparks by the end of summer.

Here are the winning proposals for Portland’s last three skatepark contracts, Dreamland’s Glenhaven (2.31MB), Airspeed’s Gabriel (522K partial) and NewLine/California Skateparks’ Ed Benedict. (2.45MB)

Lincoln City was the skatepark Dreamland Skateparks was created to build. Thrasher Magazine called it the gnarliest skatepark in America and that was before phase II and III. Dreamland has donated a lot of time and materials over the years and the locals have put in a lot of labor. They’re working on phase four – a snake run that runs from the upper park down the hill ending in a big Klamath Falls-style catcher’s mitt bowl just above the amoeba pool replica. It’s going to be amazing. Funds are running low for the project and here’s a chance to help. We’ve set up a benefit fund. Click the donate to Lincoln City Skatepark graphic at left and make a tax-deductible donation through PayPal.

More images on Skate and Annoy and Earth Patrol Media.

The good people at the 6710 SE Foster Rd. Dutch Bros. Coffee have set up a benefit for Skaters for Portland Skateparks. December 7th, 2007 Dutch Bros. will be donating a dollar per drink sold to SPS. Open 5am to 11pm. This is part of an ongoing charitable effort to benefit community youth.

New Line Skateparks presented a design for the Ed Benedict Skate Plaza tonight. Pretty exciting stuff. Click on the images to see them larger. The design features a series of interconnecting paths with a variety of stair, ramp, ledge and gap features with some transition features at the ends including a 60 foot long snaking miniramp. The design is still in it’s early stages and there are details to work out. New Line is open to addtional input. You can also comment on the plaza design on Portland Parks website until 11/30/07. They will pass your comments on to NewLine.

The design is large, the plaza area is 14,000 square feet, with about 3000 square feet of entry/transition elements on each end. This is much larger than the contract originally called for but makes good practical use of the available space and includes green stormwater management features and improvements to the site that will make the park an attractive addition to the neighborhood. It looks like it would also exceed budget for the project which might necessitate either a phased approach or additional funds.

The big black pucks are just placeholders for the Percent for Art component which could be anywhere in the park. Skater Dan Garland has been awarded the commission and showed concepts for skateable art at the meeting.

New Line will consider feedback on the plan and generate a final design which will be considered by California Skateparks who will construct the park and return with a cost estimate.

It would be really great if funds could be found to fully realize this park in a single throw.

The weather was great for the Pier Park Anniversary session ten days ago. A good turnout, t-shirt giveaway and pipe-pasting contest made for good times. Check out the coverage on Earth Patrol Media and Skate and Annoy.

Photo by Rich Burton

One day it’s just a hole in the ground and before you know it it’s walking and talking. Hard to believe isn’t it? Weather looks good this weekend. Nothing official, although we have a couple of decks and some tshirts we might be persuaded to part with. Come grind with us.