Lincoln Skatepark ramping up 2020 fundraising efforts

Jeff Ament, bass guitarist for Pearl Jam, is originally from Big Sandy, Mont., and has helped build more than a dozen skateparks in rural towns throughout Montana, from St. Ignatius to Glendive to Havre.

A group of students, along with some dedicated adults, hope to add Lincoln to that list this year by building a skatepark in Hooper Park where the horseshoe pits currently are.

In 2018, students approached Ament about supporting a skatepark in Lincoln. At that time, Ament pledged $50,000 to start the group off and another $50,000 in matching funds to help them reach their goal. If Lincoln was able to raise the $50,000, this would have provided $150,000 total for the skatepark.

"These skateparks can be anywhere from $150,000 to $300,000 or more," Karyn Good said in an update on the Lincoln Skatepark project at Government Day, Friday, Mar. 6. "Jeff is aware that we are a really small town and that we might only be able to put in a small skatepark. But really his goal for the skatepark is to put in a skatepark that is going to draw people to Lincoln."

To support this, Ament has revised his pledge. "We just had another conversation with Jeff," said Good, who has been helping to lead the skatepark effort. "This is a big project. It's an expensive project. He's come back now and said that he would match up to $100,000 to get the project going. He and the contractor for this project are really hoping to see this go forward in 2020. I'm trying. I'm searching for grants. It's tough. It's a County park, so there's a lot of hoops you have to jump through when applying for grants."

When the project was originally proposed, Ament and Evergreen Skateparks, who will handle the construction of the skatepark, hoped to get construction underway in 2019. The Lincoln Skatepark Committee worked with Ament to save the promised funds for a 2020 construction date, but that may be difficult to hit with the amount of funds left to raise.

"We've raised about $10,000 to date," said Good, referring to the match funds raised by the committee. "We just started a new fundraising campaign. And we are planning to have another big fundraiser in late June, just like we did last year, partnering with folks like hopefully our local Fire Department and our Forest Service staff to raise some funds."

The proposed skatepark wouldn't just support Lincoln's kids, though. A new recreation opportunity in Lincoln could mean new tourists and more funds coming into the town.

"Believe it or not, there are a lot of skateboarders in Montana. Those skateboarders travel all over the place looking for new skate parks. Jeff wants a skatepark in Lincoln that's going to be an economic gain for the community," said Good.