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Skate park proponents seek confirmation of space

How will it fit?

By Cindy Filipenko

Proponents of a permanent skateboard park, Dave Russell and Annika Snow, want Pemberton council to determine where the park fits in with the new community centre plans. According to Russell, the skateboard park requires a space of 100 feet x 200 feet to allow for adequate landscaping.

Last August, the previous Village of Pemberton administration allocated an 80 x 200 space on the former PACA lands, across from the site of the new community centre. However, what is still outstanding is the actual location of that lot. And until the skate park society can provide various agencies with those particulars granting opportunities will not be available to them.

“You guys are talking about a community centre… it’s important that the skate park become part of that,” said Snow, in a presentation to council this week. “We want to write grant applications and we can’t really do without the exact size and where it is going to go. The more concrete it is the better it is for us.”

The cost of a skate park could be upwards of $450,000, depending on size and other factors such as donated labour and materials. Currently the society has a $25,000 grant from Whistler-Blackcomb and $15,000 in the bank.

Russell noted that a mountain bike park should also be created nearby, as mountain bikers are using the ramps that the skateboard society built last year. Not being built for bikes, the ramps are now in poor shape.

“We would like to build a bike park at the same time,” said Russell. “A dirt park. Basically, the cost is machine time.”

Snow also requested that the society takeover the hockey rink for the summer and install the ramps which are to be covered in Skatelite, a rubberized coating more suitable to boarding.

Council referred the matter to the parks and recreation committee for a recommendation on both matters. That committee meets on May 11.