City Center Skatepark
MISSION
To revitalize Washington-Jefferson Park by building an 18,000 square foot destination skatepark under the existing cover of the I-105 Bridge in a currently under-utilized area, allowing the only regional opportunity for year-round and fully-lit use by local and visiting skate enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels.
PUBLIC INPUT
A HUGE thank you to wheel enthusiasts of all kinds who participated in the five part design series with Dreamland Skateparks to envision our new signature destination skatepark. Together with the City, Dreamland staff hosted the workshops from December 2009 through February 2010 that helped shape the look and feel of the project. We had a great diversity of folks in attendance and many others submitting their opinions online. You can read details of the invaluable feedback we received in the design workshop reports to the right.
BACKGROUND
Eugene has been a leader in providing public skatepark facilities for over 15 years, with the first park completed in 1993 (Amazon Park). Since 2000, four other skateparks have been built, including Cal Young, Churchill, Bethel, and Trainsong. While these parks have been popular and come a long way towards meeting the community's needs, a strong showing of public support during the development of the PROS plan highlighted the need for another, larger destination facility. Dubbed the City Center Skatepark, this is intended to be a top-quality facility with full cover for year-round public use, rain or shine.
Washington-Jefferson Park was chosen through an extensive public input process as the prime location for a regional scale urban skatepark for many reasons, incuding:
• Invigorate a neighborhood
• Utilize existing cover and lighting, creating the only covered skate facility for 150 miles
• Great access and connectivity
• Revitalize and reclaim an urban park
• Increase visibility to the site and improve ODOT and public safety access
• Build new safe restroom and playground in more visible locations
• Correct scale and good synergy of existing uses
FUNDING AND PARTNERSHIPS
Not long after the PROS Project and Priority Plan was adopted by the Eugene City Council in 2006, partial funding was secured through the City's Capital Improvement Plan using revenue from park systems development charges (SDC's). The budget beginning July 2008 included $292,000 in seed money to help get the project started and serve as a foundation for a major community fundraising campaign.
SkateEugene, a local organization dedicated to making the City Center Skatepark a reality, has set an ambitions fundraising goal of $250,000 by April 1, 2010. SkateEugene, the Eugene Rotary Club, and the City of Eugene Parks and Open Space Division will be working in partnership to secure this funding. Combined funds of at $450,000 or more will be needed to design and build the new park.
SKATING BENEFITS
Around the US, Canada and Europe, skateparks have been utilized in revitalizing unsavory areas into family friendly, positive, active, public gathering spaces. Just a few examples of this urban renewal include:
• Downtown skate plaza, Vancouver, B.C.
• Burnside Bridge, Portland, OR
• SoMa Park, San Francisco, CA
WORLD-WIDE EXAMPLES
According to the May, 2009 edition of The National Parks & Recreation Magazine, “A successful skatepark can lure troublesome youth off street corners, burn away energy and aggression, teach motor skills, eliminate boredom, and even become a morale booster for parents and the entire community.”
• Skating is intensely aerobic and physical
• Goal oriented, encourages rapid progression
• Breaks down boundaries between age, gender, race, and class and improves self-confidence
TOURISM BENEFITS
The skatepark is being designed and built by a world-renowned skate design/build firm who has a proven track record of attracting the biggest names in the sport. City Center Skatepark will be a destination skatepark because of its large scale, easy access, skate features, and unique attractions. It is sure to be a must-stop on northwest and national skate tours.
• Adds to Eugene’s creativity and diversity, fits in well with the City’s desire to be the World's Greatest City of the Arts and Outdoors
• Confirms Eugene’s commitment to being a youth-friendly community
• Skateparks, especially in urban settings, often become landmarks (Love Park in Philladelphia, PA is an excellent example)
• Skate tours are growing in popularity and bring skate enthusiasts from around the country to communities far and wide
• Communities with well-built skate facilities attract events such as ESPN’s X-games with millions of world-wide viewers
• According to a 2002 economic impact study done for a skateboarding festival in Cincinnati, OH, it was estimated that direct and indirect visitor spending totalled $2.2 million over the course of the nine-day event
SKATING STATISTICS
• Skating as a sport and culture is occasionally misunderstood. For example, the myth exists that skating is a minority, anti-establishment-based activity that invites problems into an area. People are often surprised to learn that skateboarding is the fastest growing sport in the nation, with 13 million active skateboarders and participation increasing by the day.
• There are 16 million baseball players in the U.S. and over 110,000 baseball diamonds compared to just 2,300 skateparks serving 13 million skateboarders.
• Safety studies show that skateboarding injuries fall well below other sports-related injuries, including basketball, football, and baseball – even tennis! Often, skating-related injuries are sustained outside of sanctioned skateparks where the hazards are much greater.
• A properly constructed skatepark generates about as much sound as a casual conversation.
