If you build it, they will come

New skatepark in Donald draws teens from out of town

(The Woodburn Independent) -- 06/06/2001

Skateboard enthusiasts from all over the West Coast are finding their way to Donald. Last week the city finished work on a 50-by-50-foot skate bowl, and since then a steady stream of skaters has been traveling down the country lanes in search of Donald, population 750.

"It's definitely worth the drive," said Mike Estes, a professional snowboarder who was spending Wednesday visiting a number of skateparks before reporting to duty on Mt. Hood Friday. "We are all addicts of Dreamland skateparks anyway." "This one and the one in Newberg are the two newest skateparks in the area designed and built by Dreamland," said Donald City Manager Janet Lane. "We were very lucky -- Dreamland came by a year ago...it was good that we got them while they were still young and not as expensive."

Dreamland is the name of a small group of skaters that travel around designing and building skateparks within a city's geographical, monetary, and preferential parameters. They are currently in Austria dreaming up another creation.

There's more to come in Donald's quest for "something to do" for its older youth. The next phase, as soon as the city gets more funds, will include a basketball court, restroom, and picnic area for the piece of land donated to the city for park use by Wilco Farmers in 1995. Getting the project off the ground were a series of grants and donations, including $2,000 from the local business community, a $3,000 grant from the Autzen Family Foundation, a $30,000 award from the Oregon Parks Department, and a $35,000 grant from the Rural Investment Fund. But Donald City Manager Janet Lane said the number don't tell the whole story behind the feature that's got both skaters and spectators oooing and aahing...

"All the work and much of the materials have been donated by local contractors throughout the project," Lane said. "And Valley Pacific provided us use of their backhoe and other equipment. "This is really quite an accomplishment for a town this size." "Skaters, including professionals, are coming from all over the West Coast to practice on it," said Lane, referring to what the skaters prefer to call a swimming pool. When you first drive up to the feature at Donald, located at the corner of Main and Mattie streets, it does look exactly like a swimming pool, empty of course, with people waiting all around its perimeter, boards poised, waiting for their turn to swoop around in it. One after another, skaters keep disappearing into the pool, where they swoop around -- until they mess up. Then it's the next skater's turn.

"Man, this is perfect," said skater Josh Heath of Portland. "If you jumped in someone's backyard and found this you wouldn't tell anyone!" "In 16 years of snowboarding I've seen it all," said Estes. "This design was inspired by the pool skating of the 70s and 80s. Now, 20 years later, it's cool again and people are seeking them out. To have these types of skaters coming to this small of a town is quite a statistic, and shows how badly more are needed in Oregon."

Estes said skaters consider their parks as sacred, pointing to the neatness, despite over 20 skaters in evidence. "They all really care and will leave no garbage in the area, but somebody who doesn't appreciate what they have here in their own town and leaves stuff around or whatever can ruin it for all the others." That day, Estes had already visited the skateparks at Oregon City and Canby and was planning on venturing on to the park at Newberg, which he affectionately refers to as "Disneyberg."

"The crazy thing is, whenever they build one of these things, everybody comes," said Estes. "Its like a 'Field of Dreams' kind of thing." "They love this park," said Lane. "It was designed by skateboarders for skateboarders." The kids using the park from this area are benefiting from the professionals coming to visit," said Lane. "They're teaching them their moves."

"We're so happy; we've all been working so hard to get something going for the older kids," said Lane. "And you should see what those kids can do. They're amazing -- you just can't believe it until you see it!"