Pocatello could have a new skatepark as soon as next year

POCATELLO — Pocatello is getting a new skatepark, and it could be ready for skateboarding as soon as next year.

This was made possible by the Pocatello City Council dedicating $500,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds towards the project. They have already hired a contractor for the design and construction. This decision is exciting for those who have been advocating for a new skatepark for years.

David Van Etten, founder of the Southeast Idaho Skatepark Association, more commonly known as Skate Idaho, said when he found out, “I was floored. It’s just a huge victory for the youth and for the community as a whole. I was ecstatic to hear the news.”

While Pocatello has Ross Park Skatepark, it’s somewhere between 20 to 25 years old, and had gaps in the panelling on some of the ramps until recently. Van Etten put together a proposal to refurbish the park, which was done last September.

While Van Etten was thankful for the donors, which included Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad, Lookout Credit Union and the Parks and Recreation Department, for improving the existing skatepark, it wasn’t his only goal. The reason why he started Skate Idaho in 2017, was to advocate for a new skatepark.

The half million dollars put towards this park became available through a combination of some projects coming under budget as well as the council finding out that they had put funds towards some projects that already had federal money allocated to them.

“So they had some more dollars to reallocate,” said Anne Butler, director of the Pocatello Parks and Recreation Department.

In a July work session, City Councilman Brent Nichols brought up the possibility of a brand new skatepark, saying he wanted “to see that come to fruition.”

“And the council agreed with him, and so they gave me direction to pursue that,” Butler said.

The decision became official at the Aug. 1 council meeting where they voted unanimously to approve $500,000 towards the skatepark, along with accepting a contract with Artisan Skateparks.

Artisan Skateparks works with a company called Pillar Design, which handles the design phase of the project.

“They listen to what the community wants and the amenities inside the skatepark and then they design it,” Butler said. “Then they work with Artisan to actually construct it.”

Butler anticipates Pillar will send out a survey to gather feedback on what the community wants to see from the skatepark, as well as getting face-to-face feedback from the skateboard community on what they want.

Artisan and Pillar haven’t given Butler a firm start date for construction, but said it will take approximately 120 days to be built.

“It’s hard to really nail down exactly how long the process will take, but I’m guessing late summer, early fall, we’ll have a new skatepark for next year,” Butler said.

Once completed, the new skatepark will be located in Optimist Park at the corner of North 8th Avenue and East Sherman Street. Van Etten believes this location brings a lot of benefits, such as a close bus stop, nearby police station keeping illicit behavior down and a central location.

“Kids could take public transportation and be dropped off right in front of the park,” Van Etten said. “There’s huge advantages to it being in the center of town.

Van Etten said team sports aren’t for every kid, and skateboarding is an “accepting culture” that allows them to be unique while participating in outdoor exercise.

“It’s going to be a huge asset for this community,” Van Etten said.

After the time spent advocating for the park, Van Etten described the experience of seeing it move forward as “surreal.”

“I was just stunned,” Van Etten said. “It’s awesome to see all the hard work finally pay off.”