Skateboarders like Ricky Launier hope that design meetings on Oliver’s skatepark will result in a safer and ultimately more fun facility.
Lyonel Doherty photo
A recent design workshop in Oliver prompted a number of ideas to address safety concerns at the community skatepark.
Oliver Parks and Recreation has hired New Line Skateparks to inspect the current facility and develop options for improvement.
New Line began the presentation by saying there is a push to get skateboarding and BMX biking in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
It was noted there are 15 million skateboarders in North America, but the continent is facing an unprecedented childhood obesity epidemic.
But Kyle Dion from New Line said recreational professionals have recently noticed a push towards casual recreation, away from traditional organized sports.
Dion said businesses are spending money to repair damages done by skateboarders, and young people are forced into confrontations with police and bylaw officers. There is also the safety of the general public to consider.
Oliver Parks and Recreation manager Carol Sheridan worked on the Penticton youth park from 2003-2005. After it was built, she supervised the park and hired seasonal staff to supervise users.
“I am a firm believer in having a legitimate place for youth to go to socialize and be physically active, and I also am a big fan of the action sports culture and what it can do for a community.”
Sheridan said some of the ideas brought forward at the workshop included: removing the half pipe feature that is currently causing some safety concerns; and adding some additional features at the other end of the park to create “flow” and more “lines” to skate, scoot and bike.
Other suggestions included basically ripping out everything and adding all new features, Sheridan said.
“The bottom line is it will all come down to dollars as to what will happen in the facility.”
At this stage, the desired outcome is to have New Line inspect Oliver’s facility and engage park users for feedback.
“They will now take a few months to put together some design options that they feel will meet our needs and revitalize the park for another 20 years.”
These design options will be presented to the public and to the parks and recreation society in the new year. It would then be up to the board to decide if they want to go ahead with a revitalization project and to what extent. As far as who will pay, there has been no discussion to date.
Sheridan said funding can come from a variety of sources, including grants, private donations, fundraising, and municipal funds through capital reserves.
Lyonel Doherty
Oliver Chronicle
