Vancouver WA skatepark rumor now slightly more credible than Bigfoot!
Check out construction pics from the Vancouver Washington skatepark. I was origianlly just going to link to Dan Hughes‘ shots but then I figured it was worth the trek since I only live 12 miles from the spot. This park has been in the works so long without progress, it was starting to seem like Bigfoot – Have you heard about the mythical skatepark that Vancouver is building? No, it really exists! I think those Washington locals were trying to keep it a secret. (Curse you, Thor!) The skatepark is part of the Pacific Community Park Extreme Sports Complex. The larger park is not set to open until 2008 (!!) but I got the word from a Parks and Rec representative (Thanks Jilayne!) that they are investigating the possibility of opening the skatepark in July or August of this year. The skatepark looks like it could be done sooner. Perhaps they need the trespassing citation fines to fund the rest of the park. The plans look kind of generic, but the tour I received made it obvious that there were lines everywhere. I think it will be a very fun park, and yes, the street area hasn’t been started yet. Who is building it? Grindline. I’ve got more information from Parks and Rec that I’ll put in a follow up post. In the meantime, you can dig around the Vancouver Parks and Recreation site or check out these construction photos.
looks pretty damn good. How tall are the walls in the big bowl Randy? looks like 8-10′.
JF
Wow look at that. How big is that pipe, That track over the mouth is going to be sick.
What a simpleton I am. I didn’t even think of the potential to go over the face like that. It doesn’t look like speed will be hard to get, just gonads. It’s hard to say how big it is, besides much smaller than Pier. Maybe Lincoln City sized?
As for the rest… in the shallow end (where the stairs are in the render, and it didn’t look like the stairs are in the final design, unfortunately. ) seemed about eye level to the coping, and I’m just under 6″ tall. The corner in the far left of the render seemed to be about 8 feet deep. I’m pretty sure it sloped down to the part with the capsule. If you are going to go for the face of the capsule, you can’t really half-ass it, it’s a hell of a drop.
wow, that line over the capsule is nuts…This one plus Battleground, Pier and Glenhaven…. I predict a nice summer.
you would think with all the talk of “capsule’s” we were sick people. it seems the capsule is one of those “wasteful uses of cement” that doesnt need to be in every fucking park built. no more capsule’s, cradle’s and fullpipes, more ‘big’ vert.
big vert over the front of the capsule, dude. But I’m with you, we do seem to be getting a lot of capsules. I wouldn’t mind seeing an long elbowed pipe or Mt. Baldy style click-out onto a big vert wall but yeah, more big vert!
Aww come on, this capsule is out of the way, and the outside surface is skateable too so it’s not taking up space. Big vert is overrated. It sounds like you want a hlf pipe, which would be boring for the other 98% of the skate population.
If you want big vert, drive to Hailey, Idaho. Oh, they have a fullpipe. Don’t want to skate that. That’s too hard.
Capsule’s and full pipes are getting the Sheet’s ridden out of them. Go hang with Danny and Bob in California if you want big VERT. That might be too much for you to handle?
What do you call that thing in Sacramento, a 3/4 pipe. Is that what you want, some daylight in the pipe. GAY. Wallyhollyday knows what you want. HOw about san hosezay with every landmark skatepark design all in one park….
Don’t be a puss. Bone up and ride up side down…capsules tubes, pipes and funnel tunnels are fun no matter what.
GET IT or QUIT IT.
I do agree, we do need something real deep. LIKE 16 feet. I remember seeing one park in mags that was at least that deep. Think 12 and 4 that’s SICK! NOW, I THINK YOU COULD APPRECIATE THAT. I support that kind of venture, in the next park.
dear dick, im am certainly not afraid to go upside down while riding my skateboard. have you looped Reedsport? I am not saying that the feature shouldn’t exist, it doesnt need to to be in every park. Once it is in the design, you are obligated to further continue to design around it also. On the other hand 12 and 4 is exactly what we need. no where else in the NW is there a 12/4 bowl we should be the first.
there is a 12/4 bowl. privet but still out there.and really not that many people can skate it . actually i would wanna say that i love and skate mostly transitions (pretty much) but big trannies are not for everybody. and i dont think that we should be wasting space and money on building something as huge as 12 feet bowl anymore. im not aginst some gnarly steep extensions,oververt pockets and steepass bowls but 12 foot tranny requiers whole set up around it in order to be functional and it doesnt get ridden enough to justify it. one unused pier is enough. yep, its empty and 20 of you barneys cant justify it. and i do understand that its not gonna sounds good to everybody….
Nice shots Randy! I have been dropping the ball on picture taking. My office is just down the street and I am pretty sure Shaggy and crew think I am stalking them as they see me drive by every morning on the way to the office.
Marek said: one unused pier is enough. yep, its empty and 20 of you barneys cant justify it
Good one Marek. That’s pretty funny… Oh, and you’re kicked off the team.
i am deeply sorry and yes, i am apologizing to all older and therefore respectable skateboarders. i did not want to call them barneys and i did not want to asume that there are twenty of them in the whole entire portland metro area and surrounding villages. i am taking it all back…. it was very disrespectful from me to argue with somebody whos over thirty and might have looped (WOW) reedsport and is starting his responses with always so funny “dear dick”. i will not do it ever again.
The dinosaurs rule the earth.
i like loops and cradles and pipes and things but, you’re all still Barneys.
I thought Dinosaurs were extinct.
Puke, you’re kicked off the team too. Har har.
I’m thinking it might be possible for someone (not me) to transfer from the deep into the top of the capsule, coming in on the other side. This will be a fun park for multiple skill (and age) levels.
Dear Marek Dick,
So, you call us Barney’s, and you have the cool hook up at a PRIVATE (PRIVATE, THAT’S THE WAY WE SPELL IT HERE IN AMERICA) bowl that’s 12 an 4, but I don’t believe you that it’s actually that big. It might be close but then again I didn’t build it.
Anyway, here in AMERICA WE like to go big, waste money and even give away money to people that hold up signs. I like the sign that just says “CASH” and the other classic is “Why lie I need a beer” but remember tried and true signs always say “God bless” because we all know who runs this country. Yes, the right everybody, gun toten, Christ loving Neo-Cons.
I don’t know about you Marek. You just better watch out. We do what we want in this country, and if it means building something 16 and 4 then we just might do it. Aren’t you An American Marek???
dear dick, for a second i thought i defended you against calling you dick. well, now i really dont care anymore, dick. you are definitely right about who runs this cuntry and im sure,dick, that you love your cuntry.just for argument sake… if cool dems wouldnt really like whats going on around here they could filibuster the shit out everything bad, couldnt they,dick? but they dont. so really i dont think theres any good left in this cuntry. dont bother to tell me to go home because i love my english-only speaking wife too much plus amount of good parks around here doesnt bother me neither. and why dont you come check out that bowl with me next time. oh wait, guy who built told me not to bring any barneys or dicks with me but maybe hes gonna be cool with you. who knows, hes quite a nice guy. older than me but definitely not a barney. and before this get too personal id like to say that most likely in real life we would probably get along pretty well but this is internet after all.
and remember, arguing on the internet is like competing in special olympics. even if you win, you are still retard.
three cheers to Marek….
You’re back on the team Marek.
thanks randy. i almost wrote real sincere apology but now im off the hook. thank you america!!!
Land of opportunity!
You the Man Marek. Maybe we would should go and ride that 12 and 4 sometime. When’s the housewarming party? Dick.
yaaaa, were all a big happy, dysfunctional, skate family
Sorry guys but I tend to agree with Marek a little bit. Unless you grew up skating 12′ pipe in the 80’s which not a lot of people did then it’s really sketchy to skate 12′ concrete transitions. And it’s true that you don’t see a lot of younger skaters ride the big bowl at Pier…it’s pretty much always empty. Good for me but I think most of the parks should be more in the 4 to 9′ range if you want the thing to be used by more than 5 older dudes like me. You can still have a 12′ section in there somewhere like Aumsville is a good example, everybody can have fun in there.
But maybe it’s because, like Marek, I’m not an American so I don’t know shit.
Frenchie.
JF, you’re off the team. oh wait, you’re on your own team already…
Better mind your P’s and Q’s or we’ll sic old George on you, and I mean George W, not George the Animal Steele.
Vancouver looks perfect!!!!!!!! between peir park and vancouver my skate trips up there are full.
I went by this morning and the deepend is poured along with the line over the front of the full pipe. It is crazy how the full pipe and cradle are dug down into the earth like that. Kind of has a Florence look and feel to it but only more functional and many line options.
Thanks for the update Thor. I have been drooling over that park design since Grindline posted it and now it’s almost a reality. The ‘Couve is going off.
Florence? I don’t make that connection. I think this park is going to be a big favorite. More along the lines of Aumsville to me. It goes from big to shallow wraps around a little, but is self contained, plus the backside is smaller too. Dang it Thor, snap a pic and send it to me! Yea, that first thing you notice when you get there is how the capsule looks like it’s sunk into the ground instead of being leveled with the soil line.
Street areas like that remind me of the moving walkways at an airport. they look more fun than they are, but I suppose that is the way to get the most people per square foot moving. Even the DC street plaza looks boring to me, and I’m talking from a street point of view, not a “I’d prefer bowls” point of view.
Florence was maybe a bad reference. It is just the hot wheels track concept. This seems to be a better design with way more line options for those that will be doing the line over the top of the pipe. I will try and get back there tonight and maybe take some pictures for an update.
Bush probably thinks I’m a Canadian terrorist already. Orange alert.
Vancouver looks dope…can’t wait. Yeah, we need new pix.
JF
Yeah Thor, if you do, you are back on the team. You’ll have to join first, and then I’ll have to kick you off, but then you’ll be back on.
JF- Orange alert, is that a Briefs reference? If so, you can be on the team.
dead in the suburbs
Where are the manly men of yesteryear? You can learn to skate on a wall that’s too big for you. You just keep working until you get to the top. Teeney-weenie skatespots are producing a race of minirampers who will never be able to defend freedom from the terrorists. I don’t hold with it.
Good news and bad news to report on this project. First the good news… Grindline is expanding the street area and just sent over there additions to the city and the contractor this morning. Here is the bad news I just got in the form of an e-mail. This parks people have asked me to get this out there.
Hi!
I’m still working on putting together the meeting I told you all about last time, but today I’ve got something more urgent to report today.
The new Extreme Sports Park at Pacific Community Park got badly tagged with graffiti last night. Grindline will have to remove the graffiti in addition to the rest of the finishing work they’ll be doing for us next month. Each instance of vandalism costs us extra money we don’t have, and forces us to push the opening date for the park back farther because of the extra work it requires. In addition, Grindline has informed us that painting the concrete actually makes the surface harder to ride on – ruining it for everyone.
As a result of this disappointing development, I am asking you for your help getting the word out to the skaters and BMXers in the area that vandalizing this park is not acceptable.
If this new Extreme Sports Park is going to be a positive example in this county, the skateboarding and BMXing community MUST police itself. The county can say “don’t do it” until we’re blue in the face and get no results. Only other skaters, BMXers and their friends can truly influence the behavior of the misguided, disrespectful few. Make sure these people know it’s not OK to ruin your park.
Please help me get the word out and stop this problem before it gets out of control. Post information on Web pages and blogs. Talk to people about it. Forward this e-mail to your friends.
The only way to get more of these parks built in Vancouver and Clark County is to show that it’s a good use of public money, and that all those people who think skate parks and extreme sports parks like this only attract crime are wrong. Please don’t prove them right.
Thank you!
Jilayne Jordan
Parks Communications Specialist
Clark County Public Information & Outreach
1300 Franklin Street, 4th Floor
PO Box 9810
Vancouver, WA 98666
Phone: 360-397-6118 x. 4949
E-mail: Jilayne.Jordan@clark.wa.gov
http://www.clarkparks.org
Thor beat me to it. After I responded to Jordan that actual skaters and bmxers were not the likely culprit of the vandalism, she replied:
Just to clarify, I’m not saying that skaters or BMXers are the ones responsible for the graffiti. Odds are, it’s not. Unfortunately, whatever happens in the park reflects back on the skating and BMXing community, regardless of whether or not it’s deserved (lame, I know).
I do know that a lot of local skaters and BMXers have been visiting the park to watch construction progress. These folks can really help us out just by just keeping an eye on things when they’re in the area, and reporting any vandalism or other criminal behavior by calling 9-1-1.
can somebody give me an address of where the park will be located?
NE 15th St & NE 164th Ave
Vancouver, WA 98684
You know it’s a shame, but we are just not strict enough in this country. We should really be chopping off the hands of fecal bags who vanddalize someone elses property. I plan on passing legislation. First offense we take your pinky, second offense your thumb, third offense we take your other whole hand with all your digits. Try that one on for size.
when did coping change size? no one CC’d me on this . its insane when you cant do something on steel that you have on pool coping cause you roll out or over it every time . vancouver is well built , but the coping is the worst. im glad its built though, maybe all the bikes will stay in the couve.
on may 5th there was a person that died there!
dude i wanna skate this park hella bad =() this kiik
Where are you guys loketed at?