Lakeview Rolls to World-Class Park for All

One day a modest idea rolled into Lakeview, Oregon: What if we built a skatepark?  

Two years later, the southern Oregon town — population 2,400 — is about to break ground on a much grander vision to give every kid a place to play.  

It all started when Rotarian Chuck Kelley noticed many kids were missing out on traditional sports like football and basketball because they couldn't afford the gear, didn't speak English or didn't feel like they belonged. 

“Those sports don’t catch everybody,” says Michael McGowen, a Rotarian. “The fear is that the way kids go instead is to the easily available and inexpensive drugs.” 

A park geared for the relatively low-barrier activity of skateboarding seemed like a solution. Rotarians donated $1,500 to get the project started, and a survey showed the town supported the idea. 

Small Town, Big Dream 

Building a skatepark legally is an enormous undertaking. Community members often fear that a skatepark will attract crime, but research has shown that parks in visible places tend to become community assets. Lakeview organizers researched the ins and outs of design, safety and liability through The Skatepark Project. 

The nonprofit was founded by skateboarding legend Tony Hawk. A kid who didn’t fit into traditional sports, Hawk fell into skateboarding after struggling in baseball. Hawk became the first skateboarder to land a trick called a 900, revolving two-and-a-half times mid-air. He retired from professional skateboarding and established his foundation to help build skateparks in low-income areas. 

Following the Rotarians’ research, the Lakeview Town Council endorsed the project and leased the public land for the skatepark site to organizers for $1 a year. Councilors didn’t want just any skatepark. They wanted one that could attract competitions and visitors to Lakeview, filling its hotel beds, campsites and restaurants. 

“We put out an RFP to six of the best skatepark design firms in the United States,” McGowen says. 

Oregon’s own Dreamland Skateparks submitted the winning bid, and the Lincoln City firm designed a park suitable for skateboarders, scooter riders, BMX bikers, rollerbladers and wheelchair users. The park will be 13,000 square feet, with a deep, kidney-shaped bowl, a chute and a series of mounds. The design allows for park and street style, the two skateboard disciplines that debuted during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. In park style, competitors ride in a bowl to build speed for aerial moves; in style street, they maneuver over obstacles.` 

‘We’ll Find a Way’ 

Despite being in Oregon’s poorest county, the community has raised more than $500,000 of the $600,000 budget. Project organizers cobbled together the funding from in-kind donations, philanthropic support and Rotary Club fundraisers. OCF stepped in with a $10,000 grant early on and contributed another $50,000 in 2024. 

“Lakeview is at the edge of the world,” McGowen says. “We don’t have much in this town, but one thing we do have is town spirit. We’re so remote that we have to do for ourselves.” 

Construction begins in May 2025. McGowen has sold the specialized contractors who travel the country building skateparks on a little-known benefit of Lakeview: There’s a road that leads out of town, turns to gravel and eventually takes you right to Burning Man, the annual festival of art, music and counter culturalism in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. 

Organizers are already figuring out how to give away bikes, skateboards and helmets to kids in need through sponsorships from manufacturers and retailers. They hope to find a pro skateboarder who will offer a free clinic to teach kids the basics of riding. 

“If you worry too much in life you miss out on opportunities,” McGowen says. “We’ll find a way.” 

And it will all happen right in the middle of town — where every child will finally be seen.