May 2007 Update
Coos Bay is making a concerted effort for a terrific and bold new park.
Citizens for Bay Area Youth is an organization focused on the new
Mingus Skatepark. The website has much more information: www.c-bayonline.org.
Creators:
Time: Long time
Size: small
Cost:
Rules:
Facilities:
Location: Mingus Park on Commercial Ave (and about 10th St ?)
Directions: Hwy 101, west on Commercial Ave to Mingus Park. Look or ask around.
Map: The city's site has good maps.
City Contact: Coos Bay .org
History: There was (is?) an
8' horseshoe designed by Dale Solomonson at the Ken Kel Raceway that was
the first skatepark in the Pacific Northwest. The opening on July
4th, 1977 brought Russ Howell, the World Freestyle Champion and Iron Butterfly.
Coos Bay had the NW Championships bringing skaters
from Seattle, Idaho, Northern California and Oregon. There was a
Coos Bay Team, ages 5-18, that toured California including the Concrete
Wave, California's first big concrete park.
Some one said the horseshoe is still there.
Overall: Coos Bay needs a proper facility. This park stunts more growth than coffee.
Special: A search on Coos Bay's city site resulted in a find of this minute dated April 2, 2002
Presentation by Coast Curve and Rail Association President
Fred Capps - Skateboard Park
Fred Capps reported the Skate Board Association has been
meeting twice a month and with the volunteer help of Randall Tosh, the
association has applied for non-profit status. The group continues to work
on identifying the type of structure to be built and where it should be
located. Report from Marshfield High School Council Representative Jon
Hanson
The search also found that the 8th City Goal in
Public Involvment (of 1998) was to "consider a new skateboard park."
yahoo, but what happened?
Coos Bay is currently working on a new skatepark.
Please get involved.
Call Joyce, the City Manager, at (541) 347-2437
This young man wrote me a great note telling the current state of Coos Bay skating:
My name is Ben Idlewine and I wanted to let you know that Coos Bay has
a
small concrete skatepark. It is located on commercial
ave. near Mingus
park. It has a pyramid with a ledge going up across and
down, a 10 foot long
flat rail and a really mellow bowl corner with a curb
that runs along the top.
We are in the process of expanding the park right now,
so
hopefully were going to get some 1/4 pipes built in the
near future. The
city has donated 6,000 dollars to help us out, its not
much but its all we
got, so were going to get as much out of it as humanly
possible.
We also have a lot of matching grants
in the works. There is a lot of good skaters
in Coos Bay so you guys should definetly come down and
check out the park
and all the skaters (about 20-30).
Im also going to be coming out with a video within
the next few months, its gonna be sick.
Thanks
Ben Idlewine
P.S. If you want to know more about whats going on with
the Coos Bay
Skateboard Association contact Paul George at Rocky Point
Surf and Sport
(541)-266-9020 or 1-800-746-2692.
Right on, Ben.
Kevin Foster
Tom McGuire
Other Oregon Coast skateparks: