Construction starts on Ament-funded skate park at Rocky Boy

Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation is joining the Montana communities that have a skate park courtesy of a famous son of the state.

The Chippewa Cree Tribe of Rocky Boy’s Reservation announced in a press release that it has partnered with Evergreen Skateparks and Jeff Ament’s foundation to construct a skate park for the Rocky Boy and Box Elder communities.

Ament, the bass player for the grunge band Pearl Jam and an avid skateboarder, has helped build skate parks in multiple communities in Montana and other states, including his native Big Sandy, Havre, Browning, Hays, Malta and Missoula, where he has a residence.

He said last summer while at an annual bash held at the Big Sandy skatepark that he was working on building a skatepark at Rocky Boy.

The Chippewa Cree Tribe said in the release that construction on the skate park there began Monday and will take about four to five weeks.

It will be located northeast of Box Elder School in the open field next to the Family Resource Building. Evergreen is working closely with CCT Planning & Development and CCT Cultural Resource Preservation to ensure the project is a success, the release said.

Javon Wing, a grant writer in planning and development at Rocky Boy, reached out to Evergreen Skateparks and Jeff Ament’s foundation last year.

“It is exciting to see this project become a reality,” Wing said. “It is very important that we focus on building a community that supports our youth and encourages healthy decisions. Providing options like the skate park will help put future generations on the right path by encouraging them to be outside and active.”

Wing said that reaching out to Evergreen Skateparks and Ament’s foundation was in response to a youth-driven request asking the community and the Chippewa Cree Business Committee to consider development of a skate park. The idea gained traction with community members and was supported by just fewer than 200 people who signed a petition to support construction of the park, the release said.

“Planning and Development is excited to work on new youth-driven projects,” Wing said in the release. “It’s a chance to bring opportunities for youth to the reservation and provide an outlet for them to express themselves in new and healthy ways. The community has a high youth population and a need for more activities that encourage individual expression, making it important to have a variety of positive outlets.”

Upon project completion, a grand opening will be announced.