“That bowl's gonna be sick,” joked Chris Bacon, one of the original organizers of the Missoula Skatepark Association, as the first symbolic scoopful of dirt was lifted in the bucket of an excavator, leaving a small hole in the otherwise flat earth.
“Anybody wanna take a run?”
Some brought skateboards, though none took Bacon up on his challenge to shralp the hole.
“This is a humongous step, even though it doesn't look like much yet,” said Andy Kemmis, another longtime skatepark volunteer. “We definitely are realistic that this will take a while yet to finish.
“We just hope we can keep the momentum building as the construction goes on.”
The momentum Kemmis refers to isn't just the progress of construction. The Missoula Skatepark Association still needs to raise approximately $150,000 in order to complete the skatepark.
The groundbreaking on Friday was for the so-called “bowl” section of the park, which comprises approximately 8,400 square feet of skating area out of a planned total of 15,200 square feet. The remaining portion of the skatepark - the so-called “street” section, which includes rails, steps, curbs and other such features - will be reserved for a second phase of construction.
The first phase is expected to cost $229,620. That amount has already been raised by the Missoula Skatepark Association, through a variety of fundraisers over the past several years. The MSA hopes to raise the remaining funds for the second phase of construction before phase one is completed, so the work can be piggy backed.
The project is being built by Grindline Skateparks Inc., a Seattle-based company that specializes in skatepark construction. Officials from Grindline expect to complete the bowls in time for an early summer opening.
Patterson Enterprises, a Missoula company, is performing site preparation and excavation for skatepark.
“To get to do something so beneficial to the community, it's just great,” said Josh Patterson, owner of Patterson Enterprises. “There aren't many opportunities for us to be involved with something like this.”
Gazing across the flat expanse where the skatepark will soon appear, Kemmis pointed toward the new aquatics facility at the other end of McCormick Park, and then upstream, where Brennan's Wave is nearing completion.
“This is going to be the best damn mile of river in the country,” said Kemmis. “I can't wait to see it all finished.”
Reporter Joe Nickell can be reached at 523-5358 or at jnickell@missoulian.com
More dollars, dude
The Missoula Skatepark Association still needs to raise approximately $150,000 in order to complete all phases of construction at the planned skatepark in McCormick Park. Visit www.missoulaskatepark.org for more information.
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