TISDALE — The skate park to be built in Tisdale has a new name – and a new location.
“We are naming the park after Raelene Franklin,” said Mandy Russell, a member of the Tisdale Kinettes.
Franklin did much of the groundwork to make the skate park possible, spurred on by a desire expressed online for a safe place for local youth to skateboard.
“I see her as a role model in our community and somebody who volunteers lots and is always helping others,” Russell said. “She’s always kind to everybody. We thought that was a good message to leave behind for our youth.”
Rae’s Action Sports Park will be located on the corner of 99th Avenue and 101st Street, directly north of the Tisdale Middle & Secondary School. Before, the skate park was going to be in the northwest part of town, near Newmarket Place.
The new location was owned by Imperial Oil before the town gained title for the site.
“It’s the location we were hoping for and the town has been working really hard to get this location for a while now,” Russell said. “It’s the most ideal location. It’s by the school and has access from all roads.”
“The Town of Tisdale is happy to assist with this great community project,” said Al Jellicoe, Tisdale’s mayor, in a statement. “The location is fitting: close to the school and the RECplex.”
The mayor added the skate park was 100 per cent funded through the efforts of dedicated citizens of Tisdale and the generosity of individuals and companies.
Due to legal issues connected to obtaining the new site, the project is behind schedule. The recent hot weather has prevented concrete from being poured, due to fears it won’t cure properly. If the concrete hasn’t been poured on June 25 or 26, the installation of the equipment probably won’t happen until the fall.
After that’s done, a second phase of the project will add more equipment. The Kinettes are hoping to have that done next spring, but they still need to raise around $25,000, compared to $35,000 when they started.
The third phase, which will cost another $40,000 to $50,000, will add a pump track. That’s expected to be a few years down the road.
Brad Hvidston, the town’s administrator, said there’s no concern about contaminated soil on what was an old Imperial Oil site.
“We’re hard-capping the whole property,” he said. “We’re covering it up, sealing it in, so there will be no problem with contamination seeping out of that site.”
An engineer’s report commissioned by the town backs up the safety of the site once that’s complete.
