Live Mission Progress
🛼
✓ Done
Pledges Open
In Progress
Legal Structure
Fund the Purchase
Buy the Building
Lease to Operator
SkateWorld Opens
Ponca City, Oklahoma · Community Fund

Let's
Re-Open
SkateWorld.

The building is still there. The community can own it — permanently. Your pledge starts the fund that buys it outright and keeps it in Ponca City forever.

Make a Pledge How it works
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Community Fund Progress
$0
Goal: $450,000
0 Members
0% Of Goal
189 Days to Open
The Community Behind This
—
Ponca City residents have pledged
The Mechanism
COMMUNITY
OWNED.
1
Make Your Pledge
Register your intent to contribute. No money moves today. This is your declaration that Ponca City deserves a community-owned roller rink — and proof that the demand is real.
2
Form the Entity
Pledges trigger the formation of a community ownership entity — structure TBD with qualified legal counsel. Governed by a community-elected board. No single person owns it. No investor can take it.
3
Buy the Building
When the fund reaches its goal, the community entity purchases the SkateWorld building outright. The building is permanently removed from the speculative real estate market. It belongs to Ponca City.
4
SkateWorld Opens
The community entity leases the building to a qualified local operator at stable, affordable rates. The rink opens. And because the community owns the building, it can never be closed, sold, or priced out from under us.
Why This Works
This isn't
a wish list.
01
The Opportunity Is Real
The original SkateWorld building is still standing — purpose-built for a roller rink, described as move-in ready, with a willing seller. Every year it sits empty is a year Ponca City kids don't have a place to go. The window is open right now.
02
The Model That Works
Community ownership of local assets is not a new idea. There are 225+ community land trusts operating across 46 states. The Champlain Housing Trust in Burlington, Vermont has held community real estate for over 40 years. Co-ops, community trusts, and nonprofit ownership structures have preserved venues, businesses, and gathering places in hundreds of towns. The legal tools exist. The precedent is everywhere.
03
Your Pledge Is the First Move
Operators need a stable, affordable home before they'll commit. Banks need community backing before they'll lend for fit-out costs. Your pledge tells both that Ponca City is serious. No money leaves your pocket today. It just signals that the community will show up when the fund opens.
Pledge Tiers
How your pledge
translates.
How Your Pledge Translates
Pledge Amount What It Represents Founding Tier Recognition
$25 A Friday night open skate Member Name on pledge wall
$50 A birthday party deposit Member Name on pledge wall
$100 A month of lessons Founding Member Charter recognition
$250 Equipment for one skater Founding Member Charter recognition
$500 Grand opening night ⭐ Community Patron Named patron — permanent
$1,000+ Opening week operations 🌟 Founding Patron Named on building — permanent
Founding tiers are non-financial — they confer no equity, ownership interest, or financial return. They recognize early contributors to the community ownership effort. Final structure and member rights subject to legal counsel and entity formation.
Full Transparency
Where your money goes.

The goal is community ownership of the SkateWorld building — permanently. The exact legal structure is being determined with qualified counsel, but the principle is fixed: no single person owns it, no investor can take it, and the building cannot be sold without a community vote.

All funds are held in a dedicated account at a local Ponca City bank. When the goal is reached, the community entity closes on the building. No money moves without board approval and public reporting.

Your contribution funds the purchase of the building — which is then held permanently by a community-governed entity. The operator leases it at stable rates. If SkateWorld ever closes, the building doesn't disappear into private hands. It stays in Ponca City, available for the next community use.

Building purchase $400,000
Legal formation & charter $12,000
Title, escrow & closing costs $18,000
Initial building reserves $15,000
Campaign & outreach $5,000
Community ownership goal $450,000

Numbers shown are estimates pending final loan structuring with our banking partner. Actual figures will be published when the loan is finalized.

Questions
We'll be straight
with you.
Is this actually going to happen?
Honestly? We don't know yet — and that's the whole point of this campaign. The building exists and the seller is willing. The legal tools for community ownership are established. But whether this happens depends entirely on whether Ponca City shows up. If enough people pledge, we have proof of demand, a path to funding, and a real shot at making this permanent. If the community doesn't show up, it doesn't happen. This pledge campaign is how we find out.
Who is the operator?
We don't have an operator deal in place yet — and that's intentional. The community ownership structure comes first. Once the building is secured, the community entity sets the lease terms and selects a qualified operator. We are actively searching for someone with roller rink or venue management experience who wants to run a business in Ponca City. Know someone? Send them our way.
Where will my money go?
Into a dedicated account at a local Ponca City bank, controlled by the community board. When the goal is reached, the funds are used to purchase the building outright. No administrative fees are taken from pledges. All financial activity is publicly reported.
Can I get my money back?
We will not ask for a single dollar until we are certain the deal is ready to close. This pledge campaign collects intent — not money. When the building purchase is structured, the legal entity is formed, and we have a clear path to closing, we will contact pledgers to convert their intent into actual contributions. If at that point the deal falls through before closing, all contributions will be returned. No money moves until we're sure.
What is the building?
The original SkateWorld location on the north side of Ponca City. Purpose-built for a roller rink, described as move-in ready, with a willing seller. Asking price is $400,000. The CLT purchase removes it from the private market permanently.
Who is behind this campaign?
Community members who believe Ponca City should own its own gathering places. Whatever legal structure is ultimately chosen, governance belongs to a community-elected board — not a corporation, not a PAC, not a single individual.
How can I help beyond donating?
Share this page. Tell people who grew up here. If you have connections to commercial lending, nonprofit administration, or entertainment venue operations, reach out via the contact link below — we want to hear from you.
Tell someone who
grew up here.