The skating community has grown in recent years in Pocatello but has struggled with a worn-down skate park that has not been doing well. Last month, Pocatello broke ground for the construction of a new skate park in Optimist Park, near the city offices.
“The old park just wasn't holding up anymore and skateboarding has grown a ton in this area and the demand for a quality park I think has just been there for years and we finally got the opportunity to make it happen and you know there was a lot of persistence from the local skate community as well,” said Darin “D’Beau” Black, owner of the Deckadence Skate Store in Pocatello.
Black sits on the city’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. He said this new park was built with a lot of input from the Skate Idaho nonprofit, which says it’s “dedicated to building a new skatepark for our community.”
The park will feature street transition and good park or bowl skating. It will be 41 feet long and 4 feet deep at one end and 6 feet deep in other areas with lots of banks and quarter pipes. Black says the features are meant to be inclusive of skateboarders with varying skill levels.
"The key was to designing it so that beginners have a space to learn, and a bowl is great for that. It's great for beginners, it's great for experienced skaters as well. And there will be sections that cater to different skill levels so newer skaters don't feel intimidated and experienced riders will still have plenty to push their limits,” he said.
Construction is set to begin this month, and it may open at the earliest in July. The older skate park at Ross Park will remain open.
For more information, visit the store Deckadence or for the Facebook page of the nonprofit.