Oct 15, 2022 | Justin Scacco | Sierra Sun
TRUCKEE, Calif. — For roughly a decade, plans have been in place to build a new skatepark in Truckee.
After years of work, fund raising, town council and planning commission meetings, the Rocker Memorial Skatepark is nearing a point where ground can be broke.
“We are building it for the next several generations,” said Colin Robinson, director of the Rocker Memorial Skatepark, on the planned 25,000-square foot expansion of the existing Truckee Skatepark.
Organizers for the park recently held two of their biggest annual fundraising events, bringing in more than $20,000 toward construction costs.
The annual Truckee Hoedown skate contest was held on Sept. 24, and attracted more than 60 participants from ages 8 to 60. The event raised $1,500.
On Oct. 4, the annual Golf for Skate contest was held at Tahoe Mountain Club’s Grays Crossing and brought in roughly 135 golfers, raising more than $18,000.
Additionally, the Truckee-Donner Recreation and Park District, at its July board meeting, granted $50,000 to further support the project.
In total, roughly $350,000 has been raised toward building the Rocker Memorial Skatepark. The park is to be built on the corner of Estates Drive and Brockway Road, adjacent to Truckee’s existing skatepark, and is on land granted by the Truckee-Donner Recreation and Park District.
“We’ve done the hard work,” said Robinson. “All we have to do is raise the money and then we can build it … it’ll be a generational asset to Truckee.”
The roughly 7,000-square foot skatepark that’s currently in Truckee was built in 1999 and, according to Robinson, is lacking in many areas, specifically for beginners and experts. Robinson said an absence of terrain is an issue, and that the park has become increasingly dangerous due to growing crowds.
“In ski resort terms, it’s a single blue run with no green or black areas available,” said Robinson in an email to the Sun.
Plans are now underway to build a state-of-the-art, 25,000-square foot expansion to the skate park. The park is named after memory of Steve “Rocker” Anderson, an avid skateboarder and snowboarder, who died in an avalanche on Donner Summit Dec. 24, 2012. Post build, the park will support avalanche education workshops and families of victims of avalanche incidents.
Though now fully approved by the town, Robinson said the permitting process has been one of the biggest hurdles in getting the skatepark built and has taken roughly five years at a cost of more than $160,000.
“That’s all money that was raised organically in town through these events,” said Robinson. “It’s an extremely expensive process.”
On June, 21, the skatepark was approved the Town of Truckee Planning Commission.
Cost to build the park still remains the final bridge to cross before work can begin. Labor and material for the project are estimated to be between $1.5 million and $2 million. If fundraising goes well during the next several months, Robinson said he hopes construction at the park could start as soon as next August.
“It’s just a matter of getting over the hump to where we can get into a contract,” he said. “We have the land. We have the permits. We’ve secured the long term-facility maintenance. All we have left to do is raise the funds to build the park. Together we can do it.”
Tax Deductible donations can be made through Give Back Tahoe at http://www.givebacktahoe.org/donate/Rockerskatepark or via rockermemorialskatepark.org.
The park has also partnered with Woodward Tahoe and Boreal Mountain Resort to hold a Halloween-themed event called Dead Man’s Jam on Oct. 29. Woodward Tahoe will host the fifth annual competition, which features skating, scooters, and bicycles. Pre-registration for the event costs $10 or can be done at the door with a Halloween costume for the same price. Cost at the door without a costume is $15. To register, visit woodwardtahoe.com.
