Rubicon Pizza raises $20,000 for Rocker Memorial Skate Park

Published February 13, 2024 in the Sierra Sun

TRUCKEE, Calif. – Rubicon Pizza Co., located in the Village at Northstar, recently awarded a check for $20,000 to the Rocker Memorial Skate Park.

“Rubicon is proud to support our community through frequent fundraising events,” said Ray Villaman, owner and CEO of Rubicon Pizza Company. “We are thrilled to have had the success we did during this year’s fundraising efforts. We are excited to assist with a community project that will be a safe and fun place for people to gather. It is because of Rubicon’s management, employees, Rocker Skatepark volunteers, our partner companies, and many individuals who supported that we were able to make the contribution,” he added. “I am particularly proud of our GM, Mike Phillips, for orchestrating this year’s fundraising efforts.”

Rubicon donated $20,000 for the calendar year 2023. According to Villaman, the $20,000 sum is one of the most successful fundraising efforts for Rubicon since it was established in 2007.

“The donation from Rubicon to Rocker Memorial Skatepark is a catalyst for significant forward movement in our goal to build a generational asset for North Lake Tahoe. Thank you to all of Rubicon’s staff for their support through one of the biggest winters ever in Tahoe, with Northstar reporting over 640″ of snow! Special thanks to owner Ray Villaman and manager Mike Philips for their commitment to local fundraising, from hosting pizza slice sales in the Village all winter long (sometimes in blizzard conditions), to a fully staffed fundraising dinner. Your support has been critical in helping to raise funds for construction, and has also provided an incredible opportunity to educate the public on what we are building. Thank you, Rubicon Pizza Co!” said Colin Robinson, Director of Rocker Memorial Skatepark.

The Rocker Memorial Skatepark’s goal is to construct a new, state-of-the-art, 25,000 sq. ft. expansion to complement the current skatepark in Truckee. Skateparks are a vibrant, creative part of sustainably healthy communities. As a gathering place for dedicated, athletic youth, the RMSP will expand the forum for visitors young and old, beginning and skilled, to meet and share experiences. For many skateboarding youth, the skatepark becomes a home-away-from-home.

Rubicon Pizza has always been known for giving back to the Truckee community and has awarded over $150,000 to local non-profits over the past decade. One of Rubicon’s biggest ways of giving back is by sponsoring a local non-profit organization for the year, which is voted on and chosen annually by the staff. This past year the team rallied to support the Rocker Memorial Skatepark.

Throughout the year, Rubicon and the chosen non-profit partner up to sell pizza slices at an outdoor pizza cart during busy times in the village. Rubicon also encourages guests to donate extra cash on their bills to the non-profit and at the end of the year, throws a Fall Fundraising Feast where guests are invited to have a night full of fun with live music, a raffle, and an all-you-can-eat pizza, pasta and salad buffet. Rubicon’s staff volunteers their time for the night, and all proceeds are donated back to the non-profit.

Rubicon’s General Manager, Mike Phillips, sums up the event, “It’s very rewarding to be afforded the opportunity to give back to our community. The stewardship displayed by Rocker Memorial Skatepark and other local non-profits make Truckee a special place to live.”

For more information or to make a donation to help The Rocker Memorial Skatepark realize its goals

Rocker Memorial Skatepark Nears Reality

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.