http://portageskatepark.org/

!See the latest news!

Click the link below

http://www.wiscnews.com/search/?l=25&sd=desc&s=start_time&f=html&t=article%2Cvideo%2Cyoutube%2Ccollection&app=editorial&q=pfsp&nsa=eedition

MEETINGS:

When:

Every Tuesday 5:00 – 6:30 pm

*If the Portage, Wisconsin Schools are closed or released early the PFSP meeting will be canceled and announced on our facebook.com/portageskatepark page as canceled or with a new meeting location as soon as possible* Cancelations and Closings can be found at this link http://www.wkow.com/category/176140/closingscancellations

Where:   The Gerstenkorn Administration Building – Room 20 305 East Slifer Street Portage WI 53901

What we do: –    Answer your questions.

• 

Discuss where we are in our planning and fundraising stages

• 

Brainstorm and talk about what’s working and what isn’t

• 

New people bring new ideas and insights so everyone is welcome to attend a meeting

We also have shirts & wristbands and other items for sale.

Want to Volunteer?  Contact us at portageskatepark@gmail.com

9. Skate park progresses

Portage Family Skate Park made big strides in 2015 as it eyes construction completion in July.

The city’s Parks and Recreation Board decided unanimously to place the skate park in Goodyear Park, a venue that supporters say will both engage youth in positive behavior and honor local history. The skate park will have a curling stone with a handrail bar to commemorate the local curling club and will incorporate materials from the old Clough Building, among other features.

PFSP had a busy year for fundraising, which included the creation of a Portage event that proved popular in its first year, Family Night Trick or Treat. The Halloween event welcomed about 500 participants, raising money with the help of 17 local sponsors. PFSP in December met its end-of-the-year fundraising goal for phase one after Portage Kiwanis presented PFSP President Kyle Little with a check for $3,000 from the Kiwanis District Foundation.

PFSP marches into the New Year taking community input and making progress with design, selecting Seattle firm Grindline for the task, and has its sights set on the second and third phases of the project. Those phases, Little said, involve incorporating more street amenities and adding a competition bowl. The second and third phases will each cost about $140,000, he estimated.

Article contributed: Portage Daily Register

This just in Portage Family Skate Park Project 2015 Levee Cruise Shirts. Want yours please visit Prairie Flower beads Portage.

Show your support for skater independence. Purchase a tag in store or print from the picture below and your purchase of $1 or $5 will be donated to the PFSP. Don't forget to take a photo with the tag an upload it to facebook.com/portageskatepark You can find the tags at any place located on our supporters list. Want a faster way to donate think PayPal

Family Night brings 'energy' to Halloween in Portage

Written: Noah Vernau nvernau@capitalnewspapers.com 608-745-3519

Kyle Little could see Family Night Trick-or-Treat was a win from the start.

More than 200 people had already showed Saturday in the first 20 minutes at the former location of Fashion Bug on New Pinery Road, and the Portage Family Skate Park president felt this was about more than candy and costumes.

This Halloween event, he said, was something “everybody will be talking about.”

“Word of mouth is better than any donation we can get, because tomorrow, the next day and the next, they’re going to remember this event,” Little said. “And they’re going to want more from PFSP.”

Family Night was supported by 17 sponsors, 13 of which set up booths for trick-or-treating -- guests of which included Harry Potter, Batman, astronauts and princesses.

The first of “hopefully many” Family Nights featured games, music, lip -syncing and costume contests, all in an effort to help the Portage Family Skate Park raise money for the project.

Prior to the event PFSP was about $4,500 shy of its fundraising goal, aided Saturday by the sale of PFSP items like wristbands and T-shirts, Little said.

“The community response has been fantastic. It’s like no other.”

Jared Pierson, who helped organize the event, said he was “floored” by the support, noting the hundreds of people lined outside the door -- something he felt meant good things ahead for Portage.

“For me this is about inspiring people. I love inspiring people,” Pierson said, taking a break from his work as the emcee. “I know if we can inspire people by doing something excellent, our culture will become better and stronger.

“I want to see these kids grow up with a sense of excellence. We’re going to nurture their hope about life being something they’re excited about, something they can envision: the house they’ll live in, the career they want to shoot for.

“It all starts with stuff like this. I’m pumped.”

Benefits to businesses

Benefits of the event included bringing awareness to small businesses, said Packwaukee resident Hope Fischer, who felt Family Night should only grow in years to come. Fischer and her daughter Melanie ran a booth where children could make their own paper airplanes.

“I just want to get my name out in the community,” said Fischer, who runs Usborne Books with the website, HopeWithBooks.com. “This is a way to get out and let people know I’m here.

“There’s so much energy here. These guys are amazing, and they really want what’s best for the community. It’s refreshing.”

Rita Briant of Portage business Prairie Flower Beads, taking a break from creating dry-ice fog from plastic pumpkins, said she expects to see even more businesses participate if the event continues.

“I think it’s fabulous. I think we can expand it and have even more,” Briant said. “This is (about) more activities for kids. It’s a great event.”

Costume winner

One of those activities proved fruitful for youngster Hannah Schehr, who won first-place in one of the costume contests for her cake decorator outfit. Hannah knew a thing or two about her character, since her mother, Brenda Schehr, is a cake decorator at Pierce’s Marketplace.

“Anything that brings us together is wonderful,” Brenda Schehr said after her daughter was handed a trophy, noting Hannah’s costume featured a Styrofoam cake decorated with decorations and felt, as well as an icing bag filled with cotton balls.

“This was her idea,” Schehr said.

Little said Family Night, which saw about 480 total participants, was a “prime example” of giving back to the community.

“I’m glowing. I’m glowing,” Little said. “Having these people come out for this project -- to know they want this, that they want family friendly activities in Portage. It’s fantastic.

“It can really be done with little effort: It takes a few individuals to just say, ‘Let’s do it.’”

http://www.wiscnews.com/portagedailyregister/news/local/article_96c5d1d3-4851-579e-9370-d49b97c32677.html

• 

Address: 2915 New Pinery Rd, Portage, WI 53901

• 

Phone: (608) 742-2386(608) 742-2386

PFSP Easter egg hunt successful

Portage Family Skate Park held an Easter egg hunt on April 5 at Goodyear Park in Portage. Two golden eggs were found by two lucky hunters, Donavyn Fehd, 7, who won a custom Perimeter skatedeck with grip tape, and Camdin Erickson, 4, who won a stuffed bunny. The rest of the eggs were filled with wristbands, stickers and more. The PFSP is still raising funds to build the skatepark addition to Goodyear Park and has a variety of ways to donate, from a PayPal donation on the website at www.portageskatepark.org, to writing a personal check for a tax deductible donation, or buying a personalized brick to be used in the construction of the park. Pictured from left are Jessica Meier holding Gabryella Meier, Donavyn Fehd, Kyle Little, Camdin Erickson and Ethan Erickson.

http://www.wiscnews.com/portagedailyregister/lifestyles/announcements/article_44d7de35-77e2-53b2-b5db-eae5e21bb785.html

While these projects will take a good portion of the year, the city of Portage will also be filling cracks and seal coating the Levee Trail, adding new woodchips to multiple playground facilities and working with an engineering/architectural firm for the design of the Portage Family Skate Park and phase two of the Veteran’s Memorial Field restoration.

http://www.wiscnews.com/portagedailyregister/news/local/columnists/article_3c5ba50e-3e8e-58b7-adae-914eeb69d142.html

Article contributed by: January 09, 2015 11:53 pm  •  DAN KREMER PORTAGE PRIDE

3rd Annual SkateBoard Levee Cruise 2015!

Portage Family SkateBoard Levee Cruise 2015 Event Description: Join the Portage Family Skate Park Committee for it's 3rd Annual Skateboard Levee Cruise to raise funds for the Portage Family Skate Park Project. The push is a just under 6 mile round trip of the scenic levee trail then ends at Riverside Park for a bring your own picnic. This push …

Read more.

The Portage Family Skate Park Project is now excepting sponsorship requests for the 2015 Levee cruise. Interested parties should contact Vice President Todd Miller of the PFSP at todd.portageskatepark@gmail.com http://portageskatepark.org/…/3rd-annual-skateboard-levee-…/ want to participate follow the link below and forms are listed on the webpage. Portage, Wisconsin and Levee Cruise nothing but fun! Healthsource of Portage, Revolutionary Skateboards, Dubs Longboards, State Line Skate Design, Push for Peace, Sheila Link Agency, Inc - American Family Insurance - Portage, WI, New Life Physical Therapy / Sports Medicine / Employee Health are you in? The cost to register sponsorship this year is $75.

Brick Fundraiser!

Download yours today and help us build a skate park for tomorrow. 

http://portageskatepark.org/2013/08/09/pfps-brick-fundraiser/

Today at Prairie Flower Beads Portage, Wisconsin we selected the winner of the Portage Country Club raffle. Congratulations Angie Gaffney from your friends at the Portage Family Skate Park Project.

Make donations payable to: Kiwanis
Memo: Portage Family Skatepark Project 
Mail to:
c/o Rita: Portage Skatepark,
Prairie Flower Beads,
210 W Cook Street, Portage, WI 53901

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING

THE

PORTAGE FAMILY SKATEPARK PROJECT!

City panel picks designer for skateboard park

• Craig Sauer Special to the Daily Register

• Oct 14, 2015

• 

A Seattle firm will likely design Portage’s skateboard park.

The city’s Parks and Recreation Board recommended that Grindline, a skateboard design and construction company, be awarded the design contract for the Goodyear Park project.

The contract worth about $27,000 will still need to be approved by the Common Council.

Grindline was recommended from a group of four firms that bid for the work earlier this summer. If approved, the firm will design the structure, assist the city in seeking proposals from construction firms to build the facility and likely monitor the construction process in 2016.

Construction monitoring is expected to cost an additional $14,000. Those funds could be approved at a later date.

Grindline was the preferred favorite of a “very thorough” internal evaluation and interview team that included public and city representatives, said Dan Kremer, manager of Parks and Recreation.

“Grindline is skater-owned and operated,” according to the company’s website.

“Ultimately, we’re at that middle step before construction can happen,” Kremer said of the project, adding the Parks department will soon schedule meetings for public input on the design.

Grindline is expected to partner with General Engineering Company of Portage, which has experience working on the adjacent splash pad in Goodyear Park.

City budget-makers expect to include $150,000 in the 2016 city budget for the skateboard park, with an additional $50,000 coming from donations from a Portage group advocating for the project.

Kyle Little, president of the Portage Family Skate Park Committee, which has spearheaded fundraising efforts, said the committee is still seeking about $8,000 in donations.

“We’ve been working tireless hours, day in and day out to get to this point,” Little said of the Grindline recommendation. “It allows us to breathe and get back to the project.

“The community can feel assured the city is behind the skate park, getting it done.”

Kremer, who said construction in 2016 would likely take no more than a few months to complete, believes a skate park in Portage will prove a “tremendous benefit” to residents.

“This serves as another recreational opportunity for youth in the community, so it’s a win-win,” Kremer said.

“It serves as a recreational hub. So versus having to take a skate board to your backyard or to the street, this facility serves as your home to hone your skills.”

Little, part of the team that evaluated potential design firms, said the skate park group is still hoping for completion in July.

“What better way to open a park than around Independence Day?” he said, adding that interested supporters can learn more about the effort at portageskatepark.org or on the group’s Facebook page at facebook.com/portageskatepark.

— Daily Register reporter Noah Vernau contributed to this story.

City borrowing plan advances!

  By Craig Sauer Special to the Register

Portage Daily Register

http://www.wiscnews.com/portagedailyregister/news/local/article_7eb5ff9a-eb22-5317-820e-5f10c7ad4ac5.html

Parks and recreation: About $965,000 would be spent on improvements to parks and recreation facilities, including a skateboard park in Goodyear Park, and major work in Veteran’s Memorial Field.

"No child left inside"  Mayor William Tierney Portage, Wisconsin

Jody Stensrud Presents Kyle little with A final Check for Recycling
Donations through Keith’s recycling of Portage.

 Keith’s Recycling, a local Portage company, is no longer accepting
donations on behalf of the PFSP. Beginning in October of 2013, they
launched a campaign of support, happily taking can donations. During
this time, their generosity had expanded even more to include
donations of aluminum, copper, brass, stainless steel and iron,
specifically for the benefit of the Portage Family Skate Park Project.
The campaign ended on 11/26/15 with a final check to the PFSP
president Kyle Little for donations totaling $721.10. We are very
thankful for support by locally owned businesses. It has put us one
step closer to Portage’s first public skate park. We are only $3,000
away from our goal. We are thankful for small business and we couldn’t
have done it without you.

Make a difference by volunteering!

A growing movement in community volunteerism and organizational leadership in Portage is promoting cultural development and stability.

I am encouraged by the growing movement of community volunteerism and organizational leadership in Portage. Committed to being an active and helpful part of the city, my wife and I have been inspired more, year after year, by volunteerism in Portage. Community involvement builds trust among citizens, connects people to resources, provides opportunity for thoughtful reflection, and develops new leaders. In short, it produces development and stability.

I have the privilege of connecting with many leaders and volunteers in the Portage community who are major contributors to the health and stability of the city. These leaders and volunteers are people who passionately and skillfully draw the best out of everyone, developing unseen potential, for the betterment of the whole community.

Recently, I made the thoughtful decision to volunteer with the Portage Family Skate Park because they have the right leadership heart, an effective strategy, and a tried-and-true commitment to the health of your city. These are the kind of people I want to be around because they make me and us better. Together, we can do more for your future.

The Portage community is promoting cultural development and stability. Join the positive cultural movement by considering the following action steps:

• Support the city’s organizational leaders and volunteers. When you don’t like a decision or a cause, promote community togetherness by honoring one another. Promoting your view positively without speaking negatively is appealing and healthy. A culture of healthy discussions produces the best solutions.

• Volunteer to serve for an effective local cause that promotes development. Volunteering means that you love your city and want to participate in it’s culture creating a place where people can share values, exchange information and ideas, and advance cultural development. There is nothing more fun than serving the community with the people you love. Portage Family Skate Park volunteers meet on Tuesday, 5pm, at the Gerstenkorn Admin Building, Room 20, 305 East Slifer Street.

• The greatest generation of Americans grew through the trials of the Great Depression. They had a saying, “Count your blessings, name them one by one.” People who make time to consider their privileges live happily, enjoy work, produce positive results, and leave a legacy.

I’m excited to be a part of Portage’s many active groups making a difference.

Jared Pierson, Portage

http://m.wiscnews.com/portagedailyregister/opinion/mailbag/article_1d520f81-5a38-50a6-a8df-a5a04d2c7751.html

Portage Family Skate Park on path for 2016 completion

Credit - Portage Daily Register Noah Vernau nvernau@capitalnewspapers.com 608-745-3519

Sep 2, 2015

The idea has been floated for nearly two decades, but less than one year from today a skate park in Portage might become a reality.

Portage Family Skate Park committee members expect to break ground at Goodyear Park next spring on what could be the state’s second-largest skate park, with construction completion estimated for July.

PFSP President Kyle Little said that, to date, $30,000 has been allocated from the city for the project and the group itself has raised about $40,000, which includes $10,000 from the Tony Hawk Foundation.

While nothing is official just yet, Little said, the expectation is that another $150,000 to $170,000 will be written into the city’s 2016 fiscal budget for skate park construction.

“All the signs are pointing to ‘yes,’” Little said, noting support from Mayor Bill Tierney and other city leaders. “We’re making history in Portage.”

Little said the park could be anywhere from 8,000 to 15,000 square feet, depending “on where the dollars and cents go.” The park would follow the successful construction of a $2-million skate park in Madison’s Central Park, which is set to open Sept. 10 as the biggest skate park in Wisconsin.

PFSP has been raising funds for the skate park since the group’s inception in December 2012. The group has participated in a number of local events in that time, including Taste of Portage, Kids Day, the Holiday Parade, selling bratwursts at the city flea markets, and the group will hold its third annual “Levee Cruise” event Saturday in Riverside Park.

“It’s going to be something special,” Little said of Levee Cruise, which involves several local sponsors orchestrating a scavenger hunt.

Levee Cruise begins at 9:45 a.m. with free skate lessons from Nicholas Ramirez of Revolutionary Skateboards. Registration for the sponsor-led scavenger hunt begins at 10 a.m.

Sponsors will provide clues for participants of the hunt that begins at the north end of the levee at the corner of West Edgewater Street and McFarland Road. The hunt, which totals six miles roundtrip, will travel the length of the levee and then come back to Riverside Park for after-ride festivities that include live music, food, a corn toss and water balloon toss.

Participants of the event will have a chance to meet the famed “Skateboard Cop,” a Green Bay police officer who patrols the streets on a skateboard.

“He’s an amazing role model,” said Jared Pierson, vice president of the committee. “That he’s coming here as an investment in our community is awesome.”

More information about the event can be found at portageskatepark.org.

Long time coming

The idea started about 20 years ago, Little said, when he and his parents would attend city meetings and research the possibility of bringing a skate park to Portage. He learned a lot about city planning and advocacy in those years, despite many hurdles, and when former Mayor Ken Jahn and former Parks and Recreation Director Tim Raimer approached him about leading a skate park committee a few years ago, Little did not hesitate to jump on board.

PFSP has now received support from across the community and state — something that did not go unnoticed by Pierson, who joined the committee a year ago because he sensed a “culture of excellent leadership.”

“I believe in the heart of it, the vision of it and what it means for our future generations to come,” Pierson said. “It’s called Portage ‘Family’ Skate Park for a reason, as it’s clearly something that’s for the benefit of the community.”

PFSP has been so successful in its advocacy that the organization has helped efforts for skate parks in Beaver Dam and Appleton, Little said.

“A lot of people have been coming to us throughout the state, using us as almost a template of how this is supposed to be done, working with your city and local civic organizations and leaders.”

Impact

Building a skate park in Portage will bring new business to Portage and will help the housing market in the area, Little said.

“Can you imagine seeing a recreational complex of that magnitude right in the central hub of Portage?” Little said. “That will catch your eye if you’re a passerby. That might intrigue you to visit, that might intrigue you to stay.”

There’s talk Madison could be picked for the 2019 X-Games, an event that only hints of the possibilities for Portage, Little said. “If that happens, where do you stay and play? Portage. If we have the second-biggest potential skate park, they’ll come here to stay and play and have a big following.”

Business aside, Little said the biggest impact of the skate park will be for families.

“Skateboarding is not just for an individual anymore. It’s for the entire family, and skateboarders are getting younger and younger. We want a safe place for them to hone their skills, to be able to skateboard freely, as well as to interact with people they might not interact with any other day.

“It’s going to be great for the community, great for the environment and it’s going to get people to get to know new families. It’s a family project, and we’ve said that from Day One.”

Skate park deserves respect, support!

Portage Family Skate Park Project, and why I have joined the committee.

I am from Rio and I am a husband, father of a recent college graduate, a homeowner and am employed by a large company in the Portage area. I am 56 years old and have been a “skater” for over 40 years. The reason for this letter is twofold. First and foremost is to have people understand that we who skateboard are not hoodlums. We are not thugs. We are not out to harass, disrespect, cause mayhem or terrorize the neighborhood. We are students, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, fathers, mothers, aunts and uncles. We are hardworking contributors to the community and law abiding citizens. We are also very aware of the need for a venue that will promote social gathering as well as a place of healthy, physical outdoor activity.

Secondly, I want everyone to be aware of the hours and hours of dedication, perseverance and hard work that the PFSP committee has put in to this project. I need to mention Kyle Little, the president of the committee. I met him only five weeks ago and was instantly impressed with him, even though I expected someone twice his age! His passion for this project is unparalleled and I knew within 10 minutes of the first meeting I attended that I was hooked. To the doubting groups that may not necessarily buy in to this idea, remember something very important. Once it is built, it will generate revenue for your community. The families that will be traveling here to use it will certainly be going out for lunch, buying ice cream and visiting the shops downtown. This isn’t a speculation -- you have residents in the area who regularly leave town with their kids to use the parks in other places.

The other way in which the skate park will be an investment for your town is even more important. It will be an investment in your youth, which will produce positive returns now and in the future.

Remember, the youth today will be adults in your community before you know it. If we show them now that they are valued members of the town, it is much more likely that they will grow up to be adults with the kind of values that a community needs to thrive. Let’s make this family skatepark happen.

D. Russell Cline, Rio

http://m.wiscnews.com/portagedailyregister/opinion/mailbag/article_4ab234bd-eeda-52b9-91b4-d248e21a4d3b.html

Terms & Conditions

http://portageskatepark.org/terms-conditions/