We haven’t reported on the Bennet Colorado DIY project since a benefit from last year. Looks like they got a bowl poured with some help from Team Pain. We got a ton of help this past Friday. The pool was poured in approximately 10 hours. It came out really well (thanks again to guys from Team Pain). Next steps are tile and pool coping. A new wall tying the pool to the slab has already been framed out, so I’ll keep you all updated. Many thanks to all of the volunteers! – Ash More pics and vid at Colorado Coalition for Public Skateparks.

Ah yes, I’m referencing a decade old Saturday Night live sketch, that’s how creatively dry the well is. Yesterday we got two separate tidbits about two new skateparks opening in New Jersey. GardenSk8 is an indoor wooden park that opens Saturday November 1st, and the other is an outdoor concrete park in Princeton (Ivy league.. well la de dah!) being built by Grindline (not listed) which is the good news, but the bad news is they ran out of money for the bowls and the park will be pay-to-play.

I guess making a skatepark with foam for the backfill isn’t such a big deal after all. John Kehoe sent in some pictures of a park under a bridge in Holland outside of Amsterdam in a place called Koog a/d Zand. (?) It was built by a Dutch company called Carve in 2005. They cut the foam by passing a current through a wire stretched across wood, like a bow strung with a toaster element. RC geeks use the same method on a smaller scale for cutting wing and fuselage elements out of foam. Although, in a link from the first time we talked about this, some people just use a chainsaw. Pics from John Kehoe after the jump.

Apparently, four insecure jackasses felt the need to hassle someone they knew, repeatedly taunting and eventually beating up a kid and stealing his skateboard. The kid finally pulled out a knife and fought back. One of the attackers suffered some non life threatening injuries, and all four were arrested after the cop took everyone’s story, including onlookers (non-skaters) using the surrounding park. The upshot? If you watch the postage size video reminiscent of the internet circa 1998, you’ll see the commotion has scared off some younger kids from visiting the park again. Hooray! More skatepark for me! But seriously folks… It’s too bad that happened. Gabriel Park is one of the last places in Portland I would have expected that. Hey douchebags ands bullies, keep your quarrels and your lame asses out of the skateparks. Skatepark users, don’t stand for this crap. – Thanks to Welsh Pete and Troy Sliter for the tip. [Source – KGW NewsChannel 8, Portland]

Portland’s Ed Benedict skatepark is nearing completion. About two weeks to go according to the boss man on site. Poachers have been a problem so a security guard has been hired. Almost all the concrete has been poured, save about half of the short halfpipe section and a small part of a bank. There’s a lot of granite yet to be installed. It looks pretty amazing. I was overwhelmed when I was on site taking the pictures. Now that I’ve had a night to sleep on it, there’s only a few things that I would take issue with. Mind you, I haven’t ridden it yet. At one of hte entrances to the park there is a really nice looking wedge bank, but it looks like it’s not placed in a very practical spot for hitting both sides. Also, the rest of the banks could use a little variety as them seem to all be essentially the same pitch. Still, there are ledges galore and stairs and rails and gaps. Yes, there is already a line of guys camped out waiting to hit that launch ramp transfer. Portland’s first street plaza is sure to be a hit. Built by California Skateparks…

If you hear the words “foam” and “skatepark” together, you’d probably think of one of those tick learning pits, not a skatepark construction. I wouldn’t believe it if someone told me about it, but here are the pictures. Apparently, it’s common practice to use styrofoam (or some kind of poly foam) for fill in skateparks in Sweden. I don’t have any details besides these few pics from Placed to Ride, who were applying the theory to a skatepark in Gothenburg, Sweden. The building blocks can be seen here, and the finished result here. I guess it works. If anyone can explain the how and why, I’m all ears.

Joseph Brown sent in some pictures of the Coos Bay, Oregon skatepark under construction. Yowza! It looks like a deep one. More pics after the jump.

Shortly before going off his medication, Colin Walsh sent in a couple pics and a short write up about a fundraiser/contest for the Benton County Skate Alliance (B.C.S.A.). The skate shots are decent, Collin. Maybe you should channel your energy in that direction instead of harassing the people that you want to have posting the shots.

The Eastern Oregonian reports that the 11,000 square foot Pendleton skatepark is complete and ready to open Saturday, October 18 and 19th. Check the schedule for Grand opening events all weekend because open skate hours are limited. Check out an extensive construction slideshow at Pendleton Parks and Recreation’s skatepark page.

In the two years since Pier Park skatepark’s reopening Portland has built an additional three skateparks and work is proceeding on the Ed Benedict plaza-style skatepark. There’s actually a lot of progress in the last two weeks. It looks good. I heard some kids ask one of the two workers how much longer and he said “a month and a half.” Looks closer than that to me. More images after the turn.