Skatepark 'a chance for community to say: Let's reclaim this space'
EUGENE, Ore. -- Boosters of a skatepark proposed for Downtown Eugene say it would be much more than concrete runways: They say it could help transform the neighborhood.
It's a $500,000 dream that would be built in the crime-plagued Washington-Jefferson Park.
The world class, 18,000-square foot covered skatepark would be the only lit and covered skatepark for 150 miles.
"I think it can really reinvigorate the neighborhood," said Emily Proudfoot with the Eugene Parks and Recreatin Department. "It can bring a lot of people to the neighborhood. It would be a break for a lot of the small businesses there. I think it's a great resource for the neighborhood."
The proposal calls for the skatepark to be built just north of the basketball court, where the playground equipment is now.
"It's a chance for the community to say, 'Wait a minute: Let's reclaim this space. Let's make it a better place,'" said Bob Chandler (right), owner of Tactics Boardshop.
Backers say this is not only designed to be a destination stop for the growing sport of skateboarding but could be a tool for crime prevention.
Police are making no predictions on how much difference a skatepark can make in this crime-ridden section of Eugene, but they say it's a start to reclaim the neighborhood.
"That's very likely to displace the behaviors that we're concerned about that are down there now," said Tod Schneider (right) with the Eugene Police Department.
Needless to say, the skating community is really excited about the possibilities.
"Yeah, I think it would be cool," said Kallan Hampton, who was skating Wednesday at the skatepark in Churchill. "It's like right in the middle -- it's right downtown, so there'd be a lot of kids there and stuff."
Eric Purdy, manager of Tactics Boardshop in Eugene, said skaters are keen on the plan.
"Having a new park downtown that's undercover for one," he said, "and then lit up 24 hours a day is pretty much the best possible response."
Purdy points out that the skate park could easily be a destination stop for skateboarders all over the Northwest.
There's a lot of fundraising left to do for project backers. They say they want to have the half million dollars in hand by next April, then hopefully break ground by next summer with the skatepark opening sometime in 2011.
The Eugene Rotary Club has joined the effort, and artist renderings of the skatepark are available to view online.
