GOLDENDALE CLEAN UP DAY SATURDAY NOV. 8 Noon to 4pm

I have been working with the city of Goldendale to figure out how we as skateboarders can help repair the damages that occurred at the FoS. I won’t go into the amount of the damages or the Mayors insulting accusations, we just want to help the city and hopefully make it better for all of us skateboarders who visit.



The skatepark needs some maintenance and that will be the focus of the work. We will work from about noon to 4pm on November 8. The skatepark is located at Ekone Park in Goldendale.



Please let me know who is interested in showing up, please be serious, so we can make the appropriate arrangements in the way of tools, ect. I am talking with the City to maybe have a BBQ for the town also

That's my ex's weekend, but he's already told me he'll let me have them for this project. So that's me and one teenager, and one less than helpful 7 yr old. What kind of tools do you need since I have a few I could bring.

i'll be out there too. i've got a few assorted tools(including a cordless drill).
huey might be joining me...

As long as I can get a ride there (billy?) I am in. I have push brooms, a drill, a circular saw, and other tools. Let me know if you need me to bring any of that with me.

I am still trying to find out what exactly what tools we necessary for us. Jim the hardware store owner is working with the City to figure this out. We have the materials to repair the skatepark and some drills will be helpful. I have also contacted the local newspaper and they should be there.

Remember this is from noon to 4pm. I may get there early and caress Mary once or twice....

My drill is not cordless, but I'll bring it and an extension cord in case. I also have a mini barbeque I thought I could bring if that will be helpful. I can give a ride to someone from the portland area. And, how early were you thinking? :)

Help me out guys - I don't know where the skate park is! Are there any picnic tables nearby? I was thinking I'd drop Addison off at M*** about 10, take the young'un to the museum for a little while, then head over to the park and start up the barbeque a little before noon. Bringing burgers, chips, probably some mac or potato salad. If anyone is a vegetarian, bring your own!
Anyway, the Goldendale city map is not very helpful, and I don't see anything on google earth that looks like a skatepark where they say it should be.

Well, I don't really know an names of the exits but heres my version of directions..

ok, so when you get off hwy 97, you'll come up on Goldendale and you pass the exit with the Motel and McDonalds and get off at the next one near an overpass.

Once you take that left into Goldendale you'll continue straight on the street you get off on, you'll pass some buisnesses and grocery stores and you'll pass a four way stop

Then it starts to get more residential and the road to the skatepark will be on the right side, look for a sign that says "Ekone Park", and turn down there and it will take you right to the park. (this is about 1 1/2 down once you're off the highway)

the lighter rectangle in the middle of this map I believe is it.

http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=45.82588,-120.818458&spn=0.002239,0.00684&t=h&z=18

Thanks guys! I saw the baseball diamonds but the big gray rectangle didn't (still doesn't to me) look like a skate park. I guess I'll wing it on a table, cause I don't think people want to eat from the back of my car.

We are going to replace the surface of the skate park ramps, they have the material and all we needto do is to put it on. Cordless drills are necesary, although there may be a generator. Bring rain gear and warm clothes just in case. It looks like we will be BBQing for anyone who is hungry but we are still working on that one.

The city has been asked what else we can do for them and they have not responded back, go figure.

remember noon to 4pm at the skatepark.

Thanks and see ya there

Article from the Goldendale Sential

Festival of Speed damages less than City thought
Rachel Cavanaugh
News Editor

Festival of Speed organizers reimbursed the City of Goldendale this week for damages that occurred during the Labor Day weekend event.
The final bill for reparation from the International Gravity Sports Association (IGSA) event was $264.72, which is less than administrators thought last month when they reported over $1,000.
Part of the misunderstanding, city officials said, was due to an unclear bill from the county.
“It’s very confusing,” said Larry Bellamy, City Administrator. “The way they described it, we thought we had to pay for all the expenses. Apparently, that wasn’t the intent of the invoice.”
Bellamy visited the Building and Grounds Department in person last week to resolve the misunderstanding. On Monday, event coordinator Lorraine Reynolds, of Golden Event Planning, delivered a check to City Hall. A separate check was also written for $275 for the Fair Board for damaged straw bales.
Following the payment, several coordinators expressed frustration, saying they thought the whole thing had been “blown out of proportion.”
“The City wanted to make this event look as bad as possible so [they] could say, ‘see, I told you,’” said Reynolds.
According to John Ozman, of Volcanic Promotions, the City has made it clear the event would not be supported in the future. The coordinator pointed to a Sept. 26 email in which Mayor Arletta Parton said she wouldn’t financially support events outside the City.
“Whoever is awarded the [events] contract for the coming year will not bring any event to town that does not take place within the city limits,” Parton said in the email. “I inherited them — as long as I am in office that will not happen.”
Ozman said emails from various officials have been circulating for weeks, some of which have had a negative tone.
“The letters I’m getting from her clearly make it known she’s not going to support us in the future,” said Ozman, noting what he viewed as a lost opportunity.
“I told her, ‘You’ve got something special in your backyard that could bring a lot of people in,’” said Ozman.
“And she said, ‘that is not our backyard.’”
On Tuesday, however, the mayor emphasized she supports events and said the intent of the email was not to dissuade the Festival of Speed, but to outline what the City can and cannot pay for.
She said it was not personal.
According to City Treasurer, Tracy Hansen, the legislative reins have been tightened recently on how tourism monies can be spent. Moreover, accountability measures have increased.
With few exceptions, tourism dollars can only cover events within city limits or on city-owned facilities, she said.
“We have to clarify one thing,” said Bellamy. “[Events] outside the city limits cannot be funded by the City…It is not necessarily something we want to do, but are regulated to do.”
Both officials stressed it is not an indication of waning events.
Hansen said the City has grown weary from accusations they have acted based on personal preferences or agendas.
She said emails have been going around and she hopes they can at last be put to rest. The City, she said, is not trying to stop events.
“Can we please just put a stop to this and move forward?” Hansen said.
The money paid Monday for the excess Fairgrounds damages came from an account set up by skateboard officials, which raised $1533.32. The remainder will go to the local skate park.

it sounds like we have some people who aren't too keen on us...
it's a little silly how against the event some people are. at least we have a few good people helping us out.

OMFG, small town politics! I should know, I grew up in one.

The event is a great boon for a town that is dying, the metal industries that brought them all out there have left to hire cheaper labor elsewhere. Then MFOS comes along, and pours thousands of dollars into the local economy, only to be told by the city that we're not welcome back? Well FUCK YOU Goldendale. You're right, Maryhill isn't in the city limits, and the event will happen with or without your support.

It sucks, Lorraine was such a doll and that fella from the hardware store put countless hours and money from his own pocket into the event just because they are nice.

From what I have seen of the city meeting minutes and the local newspaper articles, the town is pretty divided between those who want to turn the town into a retirement community, and those who want to see the town grow. Lorraine's position was created because the town voted to try and promote more and larger events. Apparently she's done her job too well. It should also be noted that they have had an ongoing problem with the local kids vandalizing bathrooms, but that is neither here nor there.
Hopefully tomorrow will help change their opinion of longboarders. I'm going to do my part by bringing the small cute child, and putting on the barbeque (see what a family oriented and civic minded community those longboarders are?). Yes, I am that devious.

Wish we had gotten there earlier to ride the hll, but another time.
We were so full the dog barely had room to turn around...




Sorry, dates screwed up on that one.

Had some visitors while we worked:

Sick! Thanks for the BBQ Judy, hopefully we did an alright enough job that the city will have a better impression!

It was my pleasure, I hope everyone got enough to eat. Sorry we had to bail a little early. Lorraine emailed this to me, the mayor, and a bunch of other people today:




She spelled Shane's name wrong and the kids and I should have been last (imo). How was the race today?

that's a cool little display that Lorraine made for us.
the race was guh-narly. i only thought it was going to be about 7 miles but it was 14! ugh. i wasn't ready for that.