SES is stoked to announce that the City of Eugene has issued a formal Request for Proposal for the W-J Skatepark. Qualified design-builders wishing to respond must reply to the City by May 12th. The tentative timeline is to narrow the field to a shortlist by the end of May and then choose a winner by the end of June. Click here to see the full RFP.
We still have a long ways to go, but we just received word from that our grant application to the Tony Hawk Foundation was successful and they will be contributing $5,000 to help build the park. Our sincere thanks to the THF! To learn more about the Foundation, click here.
Supporters in order of appearance: Lee White – Downtown Rotary; Horseshoe Expert; Idaho Stop Law Bike supporter; Erika Winters – “we will transform the dark energy of that space to light and positive energy;” Dominic Ruscio – “Eugene deserves to have a masterpiece skatepark, we have nothing of the sort right now;” Grandmas for Skateparks; Moms for Skateparks – “the most watched station at our house is the weather channel – my kids will love to able to skate when it is raining;” Colette Ramirez – “this will improve our city;” Whitaker Resident – “I’m looking forward to having the skatepark as a neighbor;” A very big guy – “I support having a world class skatepark in Eugene;” Female resident who has lived in Eugene for 30 years – “skateboarding is an art that is outdoors – let’s support this skatepark!”
Words from the City Councilors: Clark – “I have a 9 yr old who thinks Tony Hawk is a God. I will definitely support this skatepark.” Zelenka – “I was a skater when I was a kid, but I grew up in a sunny area. I fully support this skatepark.” Pryor – “I think it is a fabulous idea.” Piercy – “thanks to all of the people who spoke on behalf of the skatepark – you painted a great picture for how this will improve our community.” Solomon – “I was convinced tonight to fully support the skatepark.” Poling – “I had a skateboard when I was young, but it was a 2×4 with metal wheels attached. I originally voted against allowing Parks to apply for matching grants, but I think now that we are getting a lot of bang for our buck with our $292k investment and I will support the skatepark and the Parks grant application.” Ortiz – “This is awesome the way this has all come together. The future of our city lies in our youth.”
Thanks to all the skaters and friends and family of skaters who showed up in numbers at the City Council meeting on April 13th. For everyone who wasn’t there, you all owe a ton of thanks to everyone who sat through the sometimes mind-numbing 1.5 hour public comment period. Those City Councilors earn their keep. 33 people gave public testimony that night and a full 1/3 of them spoke words in support of the skatepark! Not a single person was against it. Ultimately, the Council voted unanimously in favor of approving the Parks Dept. applying for additional grants to help fund the additional work (such as bathroom replacement) that needs to be done at the location. Just as importantly, the $292,000 that has been set aside remains secure.
Please join us Saturday, April 18th, from 6-9:00 p.m. at the Samurai Duck for a benefit show featuring Microphone Champion Illusionists, Sac Lunch Ki Design, Endr Won, Mac Nut, and Lomo and a Sol. $5 cover charge and all proceeds will go to Skaters for Eugene Skateparks to help build the W-J Skatepark. Click here for the flyer.
