By GARRET JAROS/YachatsNews
YACHATS – The new Yachats skate park is taking shape remarkably fast despite bouts of rain that have sent frogs in search of higher ground.
“It’s coming along great,” said park builder Doug Floyd in between removing forms from the back of the concrete clamshell feature this week. “The weather has kind of been hindering us a little bit but not too bad.”
Now the crew, which on any given day has varied in number between two and eight depending on the weather and task at hand, needs a window of better weather.
“You can put tents over some of the structures but you can’t pour the flats because all the water is just going to wash down,” Floyd said.
The 3,000 square foot park is being built by Dreamland Skateparks of Lincoln City. Work began Dec. 4 and — weather willing — should be completed around Feb. 1. When all is said and done it will contain 930 yards of concrete with a surface finish as smooth as polished glass.
That finish is one of the things that makes Dreamland’s work unique. When asked how it manages to get the riding surface so smooth, company co-owner Danyel Scott said – “Experts,” and laughed.
“They are the best at what they do,” she said of Dreamland’s crew. “They are amazing. One of the things that sets us apart is that flawless, smooth product. It really highlights a lot of our parks. It’s ideal for all styles of riding and users.”
The crew makes its own custom trowels to accommodate each parks’ unique features, like the clamshell on the north end and the whale tail on the south end of Yachats’ park.
Scott is pleasantly surprised with the speed of the project — so far.
“We’ve brought some pretty big crews out when the weather has been nice, to try to get it done in a timely manner,” she said. “But a lot of the stuff we have left to do, unfortunately, is dry weather items.”
The project is the brainchild Katherine Rose, who grew up in Yachats and now lives in Portland, and professional skateboarder Kevin Kowalski who lives in Seal Rock. Both have donated their dreams and efforts into making the park a reality.
Just a year passed from concept to construction – which Kowalski called phenomenal and something he did not believe was possible. Rose had previously reflected upon the Yachats of her youth when skateboarding wasn’t even allowed in town. Only later in life was she able to develop a passion for the sport, which she credits with helping her grow in ways she has yet to fully understand.
She told the YachatsNews shortly after the groundbreaking that “… it’s something that I am excited to leave as a legacy for future children growing up and visiting Yachats – to get to have a place to play and be creative and express themselves through movement.”
Scott once again credited the fundraising efforts of Polly Plumb Productions, the Yachats nonprofit which secured grants to fund the bulk of the $115,000 project, along with $20,000 from the city of Yachats, $15,000 from Rogue Brewing, a host of private contributions, in-kind donations from Dreamland, discounts from the concrete company and crew’s quarters at the Adobe Motel.
“The building part is the easy part,” Scott said. “It’s the planning and raising funds that’s a challenge.”
- Garret Jaros is YachatsNews’ full-time reporter and can be reached at GJaros@YachatsNews.com
