I sat in on the Ed Benedict Skate Plaza community meeting last night to hear more about the future of skating in Portland. The plaza is slated to be both “sick,” “mellow,” and, perhaps the most surprising adjective—sustainable.

New Line Skate Parks is building the plaza and has taken into consideration crime prevention and feedback from the local skaters who’ve shown up at the meetings, and incorporated environmentally sustaining guidelines.

The Ed Benedict Skate Plaza is one of 19 skateboarding sites to be built in Portland and construction should start next spring and be finished by late May. Construction on a second skate plaza in Gabriel Park in SW Portland should be finished in July.

The Regional Arts and Culture Council chose local artist Dan Garland to design public art for the plaza.

“Skateboarding has always used iconic, bold visual language,” explained Garland. “But you also need balance when you step onto a skateboard … I’m looking at sustainability as balance.”

This environmental balance is what’s inspired his design motif, “Tread Lightly.” These words will appear throughout the plaza, along with concrete cutouts that’ll reveal patches of greenery. Garland feels the art could stand as an, “icon of sustainability to younger generations.”

For more information, visit Skaters for Portland or Portland Parks & Recreation.

-Jennifer Furniss