Everybody wants a skate park in Mill City. But they can't agree on where
For a generation, people in Mill City have wanted to build a skate park.
Dreams of local teenagers having a place to congregate and grind away sunny afternoons have spurred efforts to build one for the past 25 years.
The most recent effort, which started around 2009, appeared to have stalled out on numerous occasions.
In 2018, the city and the nonprofit driving the effort finalized an agreement to put the skate park at a vacant, city-owned block at 2nd Street and Cedar Street, the former fire hall location.
But Mill City has had an offer from the school that neighbors the proposed site to purchase the land, and discussions have been revived about moving the proposed skate park to Kimmel Park.
That park, located on Fairview Street, is bordered by the North Santiam River and has lots of green space amenities, including bathrooms. But it was also dismissed years ago as an option due to a variety of issues.
Growing frustration
This latest move doesn’t sit well with some residents, or the people involved in SKATE, the nonprofit trying to build the park.
“We were surprised to hear there was a question of location,” Thorin Thacker, of SKATE, said. “It was really hard to hear.”
The first phase, which is proposed to include a 1,800-square-foot skate bowl, fencing around the park, a portable restroom, landscaping, storm drainage and sidewalks, is estimated to cost about $200,000.
That money doesn’t exist yet.
“Everyone here has expressed that they want to see a skate park come to some sort of fruition. Obviously, for many different reasons, the bone of contention is placement of it,” Mill City Mayor Tim Kirsch said at the April 12 city council meeting.
Kimmel Park safety concerns
The nonprofit hired Lincoln City-based Dreamland Skateparks to design and build the skate park in Mill City.
Dreamland has built hundreds of parks all over the world, including Israel, Sweden, Mexico, Italy and Austria.
In Oregon, it’s built them in Keizer, Aumsville, Donald, Eugene, Lebanon, Lincoln City, McMinnville, Newberg and Silverton, among other places.
That company’s evaluation in 2017 recommended the city use the 2nd and Cedar site over Kimmel Park for reasons including the need to remove trees at the park, concern about safety with it being remote, drainage issues, water issues and accessibility.
“I assure you, it was not my decision to say, yeah, Kimmel Park isn’t the place, it should go here,” Thacker said. “We consulted the pros, the ones who know the answers to it. They said a healthy skate park is in the center, right next to the house that holds all of the kids, the school.
“And at that point, the decision was made to lock down that place.”
An unexpected change
Back then, the City Council agreed with Dreamland to build it in town. And the city’s planning commission approved it with conditions like requirements to build sidewalks and bathrooms.
The city signed a memorandum of understanding with SKATE in 2018 to site the skatepark at 2nd and Cedar.
But between the COVID-19 pandemic and the wildfires of 2020, work on the project ground to a halt.
Then, when the group went to the council in January to figure out how to get it going, they found out the school district was interested in purchasing that property.
And the council began looking at Kimmel Park as the location again.
“I know it’s going to be very costly,” Kirsch said. “I know in some ways grants are going to have to be involved. I know that if the city is going to apply for a parks grant, first we would have to designate it as a park. It’s a huge tangle. And we have been working on it for years.”
City councilor Jason Saari, who teaches at Santiam High School, said he took a survey of staff members and students at the school about where to place the skate park.
He said the majority of the staff prefer Kimmel Park. And an overwhelming majority of students want it there also.
“If kids don’t want it next to the school, that’s a very good indicator it should be next to the school,” Aaron Johnson of SKATE said.
City councilor Dawn Plotts pointed out that Dreamland made its recommendation to not use Kimmel Park based on one portion of the park.
“One thing about the one at Kimmel, I know they looked and it was in the tree,” Dawn Plotts said. “I don’t know why they didn’t look farther down where it’s more level and you can dig down.”
What's next
The City Council had many questions about the proposed project, including if the plans Dreamland drew up years ago will still be usable.
And in the meantime, the debate continues while skaters in Mill City lack a place to go.
“Is it my place?” Kirsch asked. “I’ll never touch a skateboard. I like walking around without broken legs or arms. If I get on a skateboard, I know that’s going to happen. So my passion does not lie within that.
“I support putting in a skate park. I think the kids deserve a place to skate.”
Bill Poehler covers Marion County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Mill City skate park effort hits another bump
