Designer Picked For Coos Bay SkatePark

Coos Bay, Oregon -- 08/02/2006

To the grinders and airwalkers of the Bay Area, the skateboarders and their spectators, the Citizens for Bay Area Youth has a simple message: Help is on the way.

Grindline Skateparks Inc., a respected designer and builder of skateparks based in Seattle, Wash., has been tapped by CBAY to design and build a proposed 35,000-square-foot skatepark in Coos Bay's Mingus Park. Though Mark Hildebrand, general manager of Grindline, said “nothing has been signed yet,” representatives of the company plan to appear at a meeting at 7 p.m. Friday in the Council Chambers at Coos Bay City Hall.

“The meeting will mainly be an info-gathering session for us,” said Hildebrand. “We're sending representatives to look at the (Mingus Park) site and to meet with people, to see what every one's hopes and expectations are for the park, and see what kind of budget they're working with.”

This past March, the Coos Bay City Council approved CBAY's proposal to expand the current skateboarding facility in Mingus Park. The enlistment of Grindline marked the latest step toward constructing what Hildebrand said could be the largest skatepark in Oregon, and one of the top 10 largest in the country. Hildebrand said rough plans for the park could be drafted as early as the end of the month.

However, CBAY still is in the process of gathering the necessary money to pay Grindline for its design plans, making the company's involvement with the project far from a done deal. According to Nancy Kramer, chairwoman of CBAY's design
subcommittee, the plans will cost about $17,000, of which only about half has been raised. Kramer said she hopes to raise the other $9,000 in the next few weeks through a letter-writing campaign to local businesses.

“I think that's an extremely reasonable goal,” Kramer said. “Even if people are only donating $100 at a time, if we get about 100 of those people we're there. A lot of this is going on faith right now.”

Kramer said getting a plan was an important step toward attracting grant money for the park.

“You need to have a plan drawn up if you're going to apply for grants,” said Kramer. “Otherwise, they don't know you're serious, that there's something concrete going on.”

Kramer said once the plan are ready, she wants to apply for grants from the Coquille Indian Tribe, the Ford Family Foundation and the Tony Hawk Foundation, as well as smaller organizations.

Hildebrand said that CBAY's funding process is not the norm, but isn't excessively unusual either.

“Usually we're dealing directly with cities, and in that case they always have their funds ready,” said Hildebrand. “But we've worked with grassroots groups before, and it's not completely unusual for them to not have their money together. It seems a bit like the cart is in front of the horse, but getting plans ready is important for grant money.”

Kramer said the park, as currently proposed, would cost more than $1 million dollars to build. She hopes half of the price tag will be covered by grants, and the rest by donations from local businesses and individuals. Kramer said CBAY is asking not only for money, but also donations of building materials and motel rooms for the builders to stay in when construction commences, which Kramer said she hopes will happen in about 12 months.

“In terms of raising money locally, once we get one company to say they'll give us a ton of donations, then other business will be quick to follow suit,” she said. “It'll be a snowball effect.

I have to be confident. We can't go halfway on this.”

However, according to AnnaLynne “Twinkie” Goorhius, who was almost single-handedly responsible for getting the Reedsport skatepark built and who is helping CBAY with their grant applications, plans tend to change when funding issues are hashed out.

“The people funding these parks, they want you to bring them something do-able,” said Goorhius. “I had to cut the Reedsport park's cost down from about $300,000 to about
$225,000. ... That's really going to be a factor for Coos Bay as well, whether or not the people with grant money think (CBAY) can actually follow through on building a park so big.”

Whatever happens in the far future, Kramer said, she hopes that the upcoming meeting will stir enthusiasm for the project within the community, and hope within the hearts of local skaters.

“The skaters I've talked to, they're excited we've got Grindline signed up, and they're excited on the details. But more than anything, they're excited it's actually happening,” Kramer said.

“They've been promised skateparks so many times in the past, and they haven't happened yet. We're hoping, after this week, it will seem more real to them.”

Meeting

Citizens for Bay Area Youth, a local nonprofit organization currently spearheading the construction of a state-of-the-art skatepark facility in the Bay Area, is has selected Grindline Skateparks Inc. of Seattle to design the park.

Grindeline representatives will meet with Coos Bay city officials at 7 p.m. on Friday, in the council chambers at City Hall, 500 Central Ave., in Coos Bay.

Grindline Skateparks Inc. was selected from more than a dozen firms to design and build the proposed 35,000-square-foot park.

If there are any riders in the Coos Bay Area that will want to ride this park, NOW, is the time to get involved in the process. Having the BMX Community at the beginning of a project allows for the process to go smoother. This does not necessarily mean bike WILL be let in. But it increases your chances compared to waiting until the park is open.-ben

posted by pdxbmx @ 2:46 PM