Ponderosa Skatepark Explained

Ponderosa Skatepark is a public skatepark in Bend, Oregon. It opened in 2013. The original park was built in 1997, but poor construction and design coupled with heavy use rendered it obsolete. The new park is used by visitors and local skateboarders.

Construction

Bend Park & Recreation District budgeted about $360,000 for the new park. $40,000 was raised by a local organization called PUSH (Promoting Urban Skate Habitats) through a fundraising campaign and in-kind donations.^[1]

Following Bend PRD standards, Spohn Ranch was contracted to do the construction. One of Spohn Ranch's leading skatepark designers, Charlie Wilkins, held focus groups with local skateboarders to find out what features and terrain styles they wanted.^[2] After a couple months of planning, the skatepark began construction in the summer of 2013 and opening that fall.

Facilities

The roughly park includes the following features:^[3]

• Half-pipe section
• Multiple quarter pipe sections
• Two sets of stairs
• A variety of wedges, hips and ledges
• Grind rails and ledges
• Radius wave
• Pump bumps and radius wave
• Restrooms, picnic shelters and other amenities close to the skatepark.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Ponderosa Skatepark Donations - Bend Parks and Recreation District. Bend Parks and Recreation District. 2015-11-30. en-US.
2. Web site: Ponderosa Park Skatepark Spohn Ranch. www.spohnranch.com. 2015-11-30.
3. Web site: Skateboarding - Bend Parks and Recreation District. Bend Parks and Recreation District. 2015-11-30. en-US.