Oskaloosa Urban Park Opens To An Overflowing Crowd
JT Walker cuts the ribbon at the new Urban Park on Sunday Afternoon.
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Black marks from tires, and scraps on the railings were the scares the park wore from an excited community, even before it officially opened.
On Sunday afternoon, the new Urban Park, or Skate Park as it’s commonly referred to, officially opened. There are a few minor touches such as lighting and some walls in the gazebo area, which will help blend it with the existing mall and also provide extra seating for those weary riders, yet to be completed.
Groundbreaking for the project took place at the end of June last year, and since then a community has watched as a parking lot and old entrance were transformed and re-purposed into a location that appears to have the potential to draw visitors from miles around. Skaters from Des Moines and more local skaters from Pella and Knoxville have already left their marks in the “Bowl” or “Quarter-Pipe” or even perhaps on “The Bent Penny”.
Making the dream a reality took dedication and commitment. The project received $10,000 from the Tony Hawk Foundation and $10,000 from the Mahaska County Community Foundation, but most importantly it has been supported from those that will use it. On ground breaking day, the youth handed over $70.00 more they had collected in recycling cans. This was in addition to other funds they had helped to generate in the previous months.
The gazebo area at the new Urban Park was filled as many area residents came out to support the grand opening
TJ Walker cut the ribbon, officially opening the park. He was there when the first shovel full of dirt was turned back in June of 2011. That night as the old lot was sealed off for the last time, the youth took to the lot with their bikes and skateboards and dreamed of when, over that exact spot, they would be catching air and doing one of many other tricks.
Spohn Ranch was selected as the skate park design/build contractor in the winter of 2010, and they were on hand to join in the festivities of opening day. Even the designers father from Spohn Ranch was on hand, and was very proud of the work that had been done.
In a press release last August by Spohn Ranch, “Oskaloosa’s new action sports space stands alone. With an innovative sculptural quality and a diversity of aesthetic enhancements, the resulting design is arguably the most progressive skate park in the State of Iowa. Often resembling more of an urban plaza than a traditional skate park, the park features a dynamic colored concrete pattern, integrated granite collages and a host of cantilevered obstacles that double as architectural focal points.”
Back in October, the crews from Spohn Ranch were on hand, and Anthony Zabala of Spohn Ranch described some of his favorite aspects of the park. “One of my favorite features is called ‘The Taco’, where it will be located on the south east portion of the skate park and was precast. Another element is called ‘A Bent Penny.’ It looks just like a penny flattened on a railroad, bent in half.”
During the opening of the new Urban Park, visitors could enjoy not only their own local daredevils, but some demonstrations by Motive Skate Shop. The band Revelation was on hand providing live music, with free energy drinks being handed out.
