Northeast Bend, Oregon skaters are stoked to get a new skatepark in Rockridge park, but not too stoked on the proposed Evergreen design, described as a “lunar landscape.” Here’s the thing, they just want a regular skatepark, and not a throwback to some terrain not really seen since the 70’s. I remember similar pushback to the modern snake run that was supposed to happen in Gabriel Park. In the end the design changed on the fly during construction and we got the best of neither worlds. However, Gabriel Park is still a fun park with a lot to offer. The Rockridge park design is unique, and would probably be a lot of fun to ride, but it won’t offer the typical skatepark experience. Northwest skatepark building companies have traditionally been on the forefront of unique designs and features, but there will always be those that just prefer predictable reliability. How do we balance the risk? Will locals adapt and enjoy? We won’t know for sure until it gets built. Would I want this if it was the only skatepark in my area? It probably wouldn’t be my first choice. In addition to an existing skatepark this lunar landscape, Bend is…

I find the title of Fox 4 of Kansas City, Missouri’s story amusing: “Young residents continue to build skating facility at Columbus Park despite knowing it will eventually be torn down.” Yes, you silly young residents, keep beating your heads against the wall. It’s another sanctioned DIY spot with planned obsolescence in it’s future. Sound familiar? The spot looks good, but what is it called? It seems to be in the middle of nowhere, yet somehow developers have their eye on the location. Get some while you can, you never know how these things will end up. Yes you do, but keep your dreams alive, young residents.

Good news from the Troutdale Skatepark Alliance. A new skatepark has been approved by vote for the city’s Master Parks Plan. There’s no funding yet, but there is a donation bucket at Cal Skate in Portland.

I saw on Dreamland’s Facebook feed that they were tearing down the old Beaverton / Tualatin Hills skatepark and I got a little excited. The so-called novice park concrete annex has been up since 2008, but the prefab street course left over from a long forgotten X-Games trails has been slowly rotting away since, well, since it arrived there, not to mention the rotted out vert ramp that was torn down in 2006. A quick visit to the Dreamland has left me with tempered expectations though. It looks like the first phase might be a straight 1 for 1 replacement of existing ramps with concrete replicas, although it’s hard to tell for sure. Even if that is the plan. it’s still better that what they started with. I have to imagine Dreamland will get away with some tweak, however small. Somewhere, someone knows, and has the time to rack this down for Skate and Annoy, right? Dreamland never returns my emails. I am a kook.

Looks like the painfully accurate reconstruction of the Bro Bowl is more or less complete, but as is the case with most skateparks integrated into public parks, the rest of surrounding work is not finished, so the skatepark is off limits, and is in fact, a trespassing offense. It looks like the only thing not replicated was the 70’s era concrete finishing.  WFLA Channel 8 in Tampa has the skinny. [Source: Team Pain via FB]

Tyler over at Calsk8.com wants greater Portland area skaters to be aware that the City of Troutdale has a significant chunk of funds available from a decade old parks bond measure that could be applied to a skatepark. He’s working with a committee (and Evergreen) to propose a 30,000 sq ft. plot in Columbia Park behind Reynolds High School. The best way to help this become a reality is to attend a Parks Advisory Committee meetings held the second Wednesday every month at the Public Works building in Troutdale (342 SW 4th St.) or to write in to the Mayor and City Council (citycouncil@troutdaleoregon.gov) as well as Tim Seery, the superintendent of the Parks Advisory Committee.

If you remember our first feature on this ancient 70’s skatepark in Pocatello, Idaho, you’ll be happy to see some new pictures and a short video of the park in use. Check it out.

Pigeon Park in Hernando Mississippi, built by Evergreen Skateparks. Hard to believe it, but this is Mississippi’s first public skatepark.* It appears to be out in the middle of nowhere in a field. Maybe it was the only parcel of land the city was willing to part with. A nice setting nonetheless. 5 years in the making, thanks to local organizers and fundraising, and now it’s open. Wonderful. Video and still from Above Productions. (Update: Hard to believe because the video claim appears to be incorrect. Thanks to Joesf for pointing out another public concrete park already in existence in Vicksburg. This shouldn’t take anything away from Pidgeon Park. )

Kona Skatepark needs work. The owner of the longest running private skatepark is trying to raise money for repairs to the park. The fundraising campaign is incredibly vague on what the 50k is going to be used for, instead pointing to a recent Folio Weekly article that sheds light on Kona’s interesting, sometimes troubled history as it approaches it’s 39th year in operation. For instance, the park declared bankruptcy twice in the first 18 months after opening in 1977. It was in limbo for 6 months before the the current owner’s (Martin Ramos) parents bought it. Economic downturns, wildly unfortunate personal accidents, and some questionable business decisions, all detailed in the article, make public funding for a privately owned skatepark a hard sell. Kona’s place in history and many skateboarders hearts might help it stay alive. Ramos has some interesting ideas to help keep the park afloat, some of which you’ve heard before that haven’t really worked for anyone else…

Located in Everton Park in Liverpool, England (insert gratuitous Men in Blazers reference), this is second glow in the dark skatepark in existence. Korean artist Koo Jeong A, who came up with the concept had some pretty lofty goals: “I devised extremely steep, sharp angles, which would be a challenge to the most courageous and skilled skaters,” Jeong A told The Guardian. “It was as if they would be the great mountaineers that the rest of us would admire. And with its glow-in-the-dark surface, I hoped the Wheels Park would offer an experience of contemplation.” Maybe a glow in the dark skatepark that looks like a stealth battleship will inspire contemplation that will hopefully result in kids picking up their energy drink cans, cigarette butts and Big Gulp cups. It’s not clear how much she actually has to do with the main skate terrain aspect of the skatepark. It would be incredible if a non-skating artist had free reign in skatepark design and somehow managed to design a park that wasn’t a disaster, twice. [ Source: The Guardian ] – Thanks to Boy Ipoh for the tip.