PDX Area Skatepark Updates...

Saturday, April 22, 2006

FINAL DESIGN MEETING FOR GLENHAVEN

From Rod Wojtanik of Portland Parks & Recreation...

"I wanted to let everyone know that we will have the final Glenhaven Design
Review meeting next Tuesday in the Springwater Conference Room from
5:30-6:30. Sage from Dreamland will be there to present.

If you are interested in reviewing the final Dreamland design please attend.
Following the review of the design by the Committee, Parks will do an
internal Operations & Maintenance review. It will also be sent to the
Neighborhood Association for their review. Following that we will begin the
construction document phase and submit for building permits. We hope to be
into construction by the end of August. - Rod."

LATEST ON PIER

GOOD NEWS:
Portland's City Council has stepped in to provide direction to its agencies charged with skatepark development and directed that the project be forwarded at once. On Wednesday, April 26 Council will vote on a grant proposal to Skaters for Portland Skateparks that would complete funding for the project. Given the council's initiative, a favorable vote is basically assured.

Once Council votes to approve the grant and contracts are signed, SPS will be given the green light to direct its demolition contractor to proceed. As mentioned in previous updates, demolition is projected to take one week. Building contractor Dreamland Skateparks then takes over the site and begins construction. Dreamland anticipates a 15-week construction period. That means you could be skating in mid-August.

BACKGROUND: WHY THE DELAY?
We reported earlier that we expected demolition to occur in the final week of March with Dreamland on site at the beginning of April. That was based on a projection shared by SPS and Portland Parks & Recreation, the owner and operator of the skatepark.

Out of the public's view is a project checklist of items that need to be addressed before anybody can actually do anything on site, i.e. before you actually see anything. For example, the permitting process is a huge list of items that must be reviewed and approved by multiple city agencies before construction.

SPS was almost entirely through that checklist when the Parks bureau decided the project lacked sufficient funds for completion. While the Pier Park skatepark rebuilding effort is appropriately described as a private/public partnership, it's important to note that the Parks bureau is the skatepark's owner and operator. That means they, not SPS, manage the final product and have the final word in the project's scope and therefore the budget.

SPS has always concentrated its efforts on its own expertise: the part we all skate. The amenities, like seating areas and facilities, a walkway, trash cans, etc. are beyond our expertise and properly handled by the Parks bureau. Parks decided some changes were needed in the project scope. That impacted the budget leading to the Council directive, and created the delay.

posted by pdxbmx @ 11:59 AM