‘Ride on, Jacob’ — Mosier skatepark opens

MOSIER — After five years of work, Jacob’s Skatepark is officially open. The Sept. 12 grand opening included live music, food, and skating demonstrations. Main Street Mosier (MSM), a nonprofit, pioneered the project alongside the City of Mosier and Oregon Parks and Recreation.

The facility is a tribute to Jacob Rogers, who was 23 years old when he passed away from a major aortic rupture caused by an undetected heart defect. As previously reported by Columbia Gorge News, his passion for skateboarding and creating music and art was widely recognized within the community.

Project history

In 2019, former Mosier city engineer John Grim and MSM member Manny Rincon began tossing around the idea of constructing a skatepark in the City of Mosier, as the city did not have any outdoor recreation facilities aside from a handful of public parks. They connected with Jacob’s mother, Andrea Rogers, shortly after receiving word of Jacob’s passing, Rincon said.

“She told us a story about how he [Jacob] was always, like, ‘Imagine Mosier ever having a skatepark. That wouldn’t happen.’ Things like that. We said, ‘Well, we’ve been working on trying to get something going here,’” he said.

Soon after, the team brought MSM member and co-project manager Lee Campbell and MSM Executive Director Juliana Foster on board, alongside a handful of volunteers. Dreamland Skateparks LLC won the bid to build the design, and with Oregon State Parks and Recreation providing a $552,000 grant, the project was set into motion.

The property, located on the east side of downtown, was part of a land settlement with Union Pacific Railroad and could be counted toward grant matching funds, as previously reported by Uplift Local. The team prioritized mindfulness about the landscape during construction, as seen by the large black tarp in the center of the park. It covers the ground where a large white oak tree once stood. Project designers planned and constructed around it, but towards the end of the building process, a windstorm swept its way through Mosier and knocked the tree down, barely missing three of the team members.

“After it started taking off, everybody had their own special talent to make it happen,” Rincon said, citing Campbell’s project management style, Grim’s engineering insight, and Rogers’ ambition.

Present day

While watching several kids attending the grand opening skate across the concrete bowl, Rincon said, “This is why we did it, right? So they have a place of their own.” He emphasized that roller sports are a particularly equitable activity, and that “anyone with a set of wheels can join,” whether it be a skateboard, rollerblades, bicycles, scooters, or a wheelchair.

The low cost of using the facility is another aspect of the skatepark’s accessibility. “You don’t have to keep buying season tickets here,” Rincon said. “All you need is your board.”

The park has created no financial strain on the city of Mosier itself, since it has been solely funded by donations, grants, and fundraising support from the community. Regular maintenance won’t be costly, Rincon said, because the task is allocated to a single broom and garbage cans next to the bowl. He is confident about self-sufficient cleaning, based on how the quality of skating is dependent on a clean, smooth surface.

Getting the community of the 0.46-square-mile town on board took some convincing. “When it was first proposed, there were certainly people who were opposed to it,” Rogers said. “They thought that it was going to be noisy, that it was going to attract the classic stereotype of the original skaters. But really, it was about educating them about how mainstream skateboarding has become.” MSM worked with concerned community members to help develop the park’s safety rules.

“I used to watch Jacob’s skate, and I was just sort of like, ‘So? You did a kick flip,’” she laughed. “Not recognizing how much practice and persistence it takes to really master any kind of trick. I just have a lot more appreciation for the kind of skater that Jacob was, the amount of time that he put into it.”

Jacob would often skate on his school’s parking lot or in Hood River’s skatepark. Now, there is another place for people to gather and immerse themselves in the sport.

“I am so happy to see so many people turn out for it, especially the kids,” Rogers said at the grand opening. “And that was the reason to build this skate park, was for the kids to have something to do; skating, scootering, biking. All of those are some very healthy outlets for kids. And I know that Jacob was always proud of me, but [now] he is especially proud of me.”