The final concept design for Innisfail's highly anticipated new skatepark has been given the thumbs-up by local skateboarders.
The third and final open house for the project was held Nov. 22 at the Innisfail Library/Learning Centre, and members of the skateboard community unanimously praised the two-phase design, presented by Calgary-based New Line Skateparks through a trio of three-dimensional images.
“It looks really good and it is going to be fun to skate on,” said 14-year-old skateboarder Q'ielon Bell. “I am definitely going to learn new stuff because with the skatepark we now have in town there's not too much you can learn to start with. This is definitely to make it so skaters in town can really up their level.” Skateboarder Dorothy Harrison said she also liked what New Line Skateparks refined from a summer open house presentation when two concepts were presented to Innisfailians.
“It is pretty fancy. We do deserve it. With all the chances we've ever gotten we've never had a good skatepark for the kids to enjoy,” said the 23-year-old skateboarder, adding she still has doubts the dream facility for skateboarders and BMX riders will ever be constructed.
“We've tried this before and it never got built,” said Harrison.
The open house was also attended by town staff and members of council, and all of them expressed confidence the $650,000 project, earmarked to be built on 10- to 12,000 square feet of green space at the intersection of 42nd Street and 51st Avenue, will move forward.
“I am 60 years old and I've never been on a skateboard, so it doesn't really matter what I think, but I think it is important the kids like it and that it is what they want,” said Coun. Doug Bos, adding the projected $650,000 needed to build the facility is achievable.
“I think that is more than feasible. I think the kids and the service groups will raise it all and they won't have to go in two phases. If you get them pumped up about it, those kids can do a lot.”
Jason McMillen, senior designer for New Line Skateparks, noted the final design was based on public feedback gathered after the two first design concepts were presented last summer. He said a majority of comments favoured one design and a refined version was brought back on Nov. 22.
“We played around with some of the dimensioning of some of the features,” said McMillen, noting most of the trees currently at the site will be saved. “It stayed largely the same. We played around with some of the features that were part of the centre island, but other than that the overall approach to the site stayed largely unchanged.”
He noted there could be some final smaller “tweaks” from comments gathered on Nov. 22.
“They are getting more and more detailed with the edits at this point,” said McMillen. “People see this curve could be a ledge or they are a little too far apart or it needs to be higher or lower. They are making smaller tweaks.”
The final design presentation emphasized the total project can be built in two phases, the first without a bowl, and the second with the feature if the skatepark community wants it and enough money can be raised.
Henry Wong, the town's director of community services, said his research showed that bowl features were more popular with skateboarders15 to 20 years ago, and that today the preference is for more mall- or plaza-style features where boarders can go from a railing to a ledge, ramp or stairs, versus going back and forth in a bowl or half-pipe. However, he added if the skateboard community wants to add it, and if the money can be raised, there are good reasons to move on the feature sooner rather than later.
“Chances are if they build the initial park the effort has already gone and it will be that much potentially harder to raise the effort again to add the bowl at a later date, but again that is totally up to the community,” said Wong.
The next step for the project is to move forward with fundraising, which is being spearheaded by the Innisfail Kinsmen Club and the Kinette Club of Innisfail. If New Line Skateparks is retained further, it will be tasked to create technical construction drawings that will set the stage for construction at a future undetermined date when money is secured through fundraising, and if provincial matching grants are approved.
Q'ielon Bell, teen skateboarder
"I am definitely going to learn new stuff because with the skatepark we now have in town there's not too much you can learn to start with. This is definitely to make it so skaters in town can really up their level."
