Dirt Flies

Missoula Skatepark Breaks Ground

By Dylan Tucker, 3-03-06

	Dirt and champagne mingle as Chris Bacon of the Missoula Skatepark Association smashes a bottle of champagne on the first load of dirt from the new park. Photo by Dylan Tucker.

Champagne mingled with dirt on Friday morning, as skateboarders broke ground on a long awaited skatepark near downtown Missoula.

As the ceremonial first bucketful of dirt was dug and a champagne toast was made, Ross Peterson of the Missoula Skatepark Association addressed the crowd of skateboarders.

“We don’t have much to say, other than we did it!” Peterson said.

The new 15,000-square-foot park sits on the Orange Street edge of McCormick Park, just feet from the Kim Williams trail. The first phase of the park contains the bowls and transition sections, and is projected to open by June.

Local builders, who will dig the giant holes for the project, joined local skaters and Missoula Parks and Recreation folks for the ceremony. The main section of the park will require a bowl more than 15 feet deep and 50 feet wide by 100 feet long.

Builders from world-renowned skatepark contractors Grindline will arrive in Missoula next week to work with local builders on construction of the bowls, ramps and ledges.

As a crowd of skaters and supporters looked on, Chris Bacon, president of the Missoula Skatepark Organization, broke a bottle of champagne on the first shovelful of dirt.

Bacon has been working on the project since its conception more than five years ago. “This is going to be an amazing project to watch,” Bacon said. “I can’t wait until the Grindline guys get here, it is just going to be crazy to see."

Grindline is well known in skateboard circles as a premier contractor. The company has a long history of building skateparks that are as much works of art as they are challenging terrain. Based out of Seattle, Wash., the company has deep roots in the Northwest. The founders of the company got their start building an unsanctioned skatepark under the east side of the Burnside Bridge in downtown Portland, Ore.

When Portland city officials discovered the park, plans were made to demolish it. But the park was saved when city officials noticed the positive effects that the skatepark had on crime in the Old Town area.

The Burnside Bridge had become a haven for drug addicts and the homeless before the skatepark went in. But the park stayed, and Grindline’s reputation as an innovative skatepark builder began.

Along the way, the company earned a reputation within construction circles as well. The builders are meticulous and highly skilled at their job. It is not uncommon to see groups of local masons and cement workers inspecting the workmanship at a Grindline park, gazing with wonder at the high-gloss finishes and extreme use of cement and steel. “Missoula’s lucky to have Grindline doing the work. They are the best, hands down,” said Bill Bolen, who owns a construction company in Great Falls.
Bolen worked with Grindline on the skatepark in Great Falls built in 2003 and was impressed by their dedication to their work.

“Skaters still get this bad attitude, people look at them funny. But that time is changing. Grindline is better than 90 percent of the crews out there... I’ll be by to check on their work,” he said, smiling.

The parks are designed by skateboarders down to the last detail. Each park is unique and designed to thrill skaters and onlookers, as well as complement the environment they're built in. Missoula’s park will feature rolling brick banks, replicas of the grassy mounds located on the University of Montana grounds and reminiscent of the hills surrounding Missoula. The park will also combine hips, bumps and halfpipes with what skaters call a cradle- a half-sphere designed for skaters to roll upside down in.

The crowd of skaters talked excitedly about the skatepark, laughing and exchanging high fives.

“I’m gonna be ripping here, there, and upside down in the cradle- woo hoo!” said Kyle Evans, a local skater, pointing around the construction site as he talked to a group of friends.

Skaters mingled and talked about the design of the park after the ceremony, as workers began their task. The Missoula Skatepark Association is still searching for a donor to help finish the project on schedule by offering naming rights to the park to an interested donor. For more information on the skatepark, visit missoulaskatepark.org.

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