Skaters for Portland Skateparks

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August 2007 Best of the City ’07 issue of Portland Monthly has a couple of nice shots of Pier Park skatepark in case you wanted a pinup of duelling inverts by MC and Steve Grover. Should hit the newsstands any day now.

Thursday, February 08, 2007
By JOSE PAUL CORONA Columbian staff writer

BATTLE GROUND – Outdoor sports activities will fuel economic development in the city and will help turn it into a Clark County destination, Mayor John Idsinga said during his State of the City speech Wednesday night.

Idsinga discussed the various projects that will attract outdoor enthusiasts as images of people hiking, running and skateboarding were projected on a large screen.

“We are still the city of focus,” Idsinga said as he began his speech. His theme: “Forging an Extreme Future.”

Residential growth may have slowed, but Battle Ground continues to be the county’s second largest city. Mixed use and other types of development are adding to the city’s profile, he said.

The city’s skatepark, under construction, and the planned Battle Ground Sports Complex will benefit city and county residents, he said.

The 25,000-square-foot skate park will have a variety of features and will accommodate skateboarders of all levels.

The city’s sports complex will feature six baseball fields for children and adults as well as other amenities. Sixty acres of land will be preserved and developed. That area will feature a system of walking trails and interpretive stations that everyone in Clark County can enjoy, Idsinga said. Ground is set to be broken sometime later this year, he added.

A anticipated 86,000-square-foot indoor motocross building could be another facility that will benefit city and county residents, Idsinga said.

And thanks to numerous volunteers, the city’s planned 13,000-square-foot library is 80 percent funded, he said to loud applause.

The library will only add to the community’s potential. Construction will begin later this year, he said.

Idsinga’s speech came on a night when Battle Ground learned it had passed a three-year school levy.

“Our schools and our children are the foundation to our success,” he said to applause.

“This community is based on volunteerism,” Idsinga said shortly before wrapping up his 30-minute speech.

As he prepared to leave the lectern, the composed and upbeat mayor asked his wife how long he talked. “Thirty minutes,” she said.

“I’m glad that’s over,” he said with a laugh.

While he read from a prepared speech, he admitted to tinkering with it all day long.

Idsinga said he couldn’t help it.

It’s huge for a mayor to be acknowledging skateboarding as part of his administration’s commitment to future community success. This is the most visionary and impressive comment we’ve heard from an elected official to date. – SPS

Curious about where the skateparks will go? Check out our 19 skateparks page. If you hold your cursor over the park pictures you’ll see what sizes facility Parks is considering for each site. Added a Pier Park page - click the picture on the 19 skateparks page. More to come.