Melfort skateboarders, BMXers and scooter riders got a glimpse of a new 12,000 square foot skatepark that could be built in summer 2017.
The first peek at the skatepark, which will be located at the entrance of a future recreational complex at Spruce Haven Park, was shown at a public meeting at the Kerry Vickar Centre Dec. 7. The City has budgeted $720,000 towards the project, which will be built by Newline Skateparks.
“The park has a pretty good budget and a pretty good footprint behind it, which gives us a lot of freedom and flexibility to put a lot of different elements in there,” said Bill Gurney, a landscape architect with Newline.
The proposal includes a bowl that’s six feet deep, two sets of stairs: one with a shallow decline and one with a deep decline going down a total of four feet, grind rails, a-frames, elevated banks and corners and unique ‘camel humps’ not seen at any other skatepark.
“What I like about this design is that within the street features there’s a beginner level drop, intermediate level drop and a more advanced level drop,” Gurney said, who later added his goal was to provide a skatepark that appealed to all ages and skill levels.
Those attending the meeting mostly gave positive feedback to the proposal.
“I think it’s great,” one youth said.
Gurney said it’s important for his company to get buy-in for the design from the community.
“I’d say, by and large, that there was a lot of positive reception for this design, which is encouraging for us. It shows us we’re on the right track.”
Coun. April Phillips, the chair of the city’s community services committee, said she’s excited to see the skatepark come together.
“I think it’s going to be a really great draw to Melfort,” she said. “I think a lot of kids and adults from a lot of different areas are going to want to come and check out our course.”
Gurney said skateparks are important facilities for a community because they get children outside and active.
“There’s this growing trend of kids that want to have something that’s a little bit more independent, that you attack from an independent standpoint where nobody tells you when to go to the skateboard park or when to leave. There are no scheduled practices,” he said, adding it’s about setting and achieving one’s own goals.
The landscape architect said his company will be looking at finalizing the design and budget, and determine how to approach the earthworks that will be necessary to support the concrete and steel skatepark in the soil. Once built, the skatepark will require minimal maintenance, except for garbage cleanup.
