News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Catching air in Sisters’ new skate park.
After a decade of waiting, wrangling and hunting for the right spot and the right equipment, skaters finally have a place in Sisters to hone their skills — without annoying downtown merchants.
Last week, SOAR opened up a street park with ramps, jumps and rails next to its community center near Sisters High School. It was immediately swarmed with skaters.
“It was installed by about 6 p.m. (Wednesday, July 12) and the kids were here first thing in the morning,” said SOAR director Carrie Ward.
The equipment was purchased from the manufacturer Spohn Ranch in California and trucked to Sisters where a manufacturer’s crew installed it. The total cost was $46,000. According to Ward, $35,000 came from a Deschutes County grant and the balance came from private donations.
“The kids picked out the equipment,” she said.
While some skaters wished for a little bigger park or some different equipment, all were happy with what they have.
Tyler Elson was involved in the quest for a skate park since the most recent push began over a year ago. He helped raised money, talked to the Sisters City Council about the need for a skate park and helped select equipment.
“And we finally got it,” he said.
Is he happy?
“Yeah,” he said. “It’s sweet!”
Skaters in Sisters have longed for a skate park for years. More than 10 years ago, there was some discussion about creating a concrete skate bowl on Ash Street where Barclay Park is now or at a location somewhere in Creekside City Park.
Neither idea got a warm reception from Sisters merchants and residents and they got no traction.
SOAR volunteers built a huge wooden ramp, which was placed for a time in the Sisters Industrial Park, but the location was inconvenient and unpopular and the ramp deteriorated quickly in the harsh Central Oregon weather.
The idea of a skate park lay dormant for several years, though SOAR never lost interest in serving that part of the youth community.
A little over a year ago, the idea gained impetus when downtown merchants voiced their ongoing frustration with kids skating on sidewalks and doing tricks on furniture and fixtures at their businesses.
Realizing that a large concrete park was an unrealistic goal, SOAR began looking seriously into finding modular units that could be combined into a “street-style” park located at SOAR where riders would be away from downtown and under adult supervision.
Ward said the park is attracting kids who are avid skaters but who otherwise have not been visiting SOAR, which she hopes will be a positive experience for them.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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