DIDSBURY - A group of boys from the area is working hard to bring a proper skateboard park to Didsbury.
The four Westglen School students, Seth Kirk, Reid Nichols, Ryley Lodermeier and Roman Enns, formed the Didsbury Sk8park Society a couple of years ago in hopes of getting a new skatepark built in town.
Lodermeier said he spent a summer a few years ago travelling around Alberta with his mother to different skateparks and he asked her why Didsbury doesn't have a new skatepark.
"She said it's going to take someone who's willing to fight for it," said Lodermeier. "I wanted to be that person."
Lodermeier said having a new skatepark in Didsbury to replace the old one at the arena grounds would be a benefit to the youth and the town in general.
"Once I decided I wanted to be the guy to do the skatepark I got my friends together, who are great people and whose families are local business owners," he said. "In March of 2016, I wrote a letter to the then-mayor (Rick Mousseau) saying we should have a skatepark. They replied and said they were totally on board and willing to help."
Lodermeier's friends all thought it was a great idea and the four formed the non-profit society in 2016 on the advice of town administration. The group is now busy fundraising to get the skatepark built, which they hope will happen in 2019.
"It's something a lot of kids enjoy that are around our age instead of having to travel to Olds or Carstairs," he said. "I think kids in Didsbury deserve to have the same opportunities as those kids in Olds or Carstairs."
"I think it would be a cool idea," said Enns. "Lots of kids from this town go to the skatepark, the not good one. If we had a better one I feel more people would go to it."
Kirk said that the town has a nice pool and nice parks but not everyone likes to swim or play baseball.
"We don't have something for the youth who like to be active," said Kirk. "I think the skatepark would be a great place to start for the active youth to express themselves. It gets you outside. It's active. You're not judged by what you do. You focus on yourself."
Reid said the skatepark would also be a great place for not just teens but younger kids and even adults to get together and socialize.
"People can get together and meet new friends," said Reid.
Lodermeier said that although the process has taken longer than they hoped, they're in good spirits.
"It's been a slow start," said Lodermeier. "Last night (May 8 at the regular council meeting), council approved a letter of support. They're willing to back us up."
Didsbury mayor Rhonda Hunter told the Gazette it's great to see teens in town being proactive.
"It is inspiring to see young people in our community take on such project responsibilities and initiatives," said Hunter. "The letter that council received from the skatepark group was asking for confirmation that the town supported the project. Council's letter pledges support for the project through the allocation of appropriate recreation land for the installation of a permanent skateboard park. This land has been identified east of the Didsbury Memorial Complex."
The final design for the new skatepark was approved by council at a recent meeting. The design was done by New Line Skateparks from Calgary. Council had previously allocated $39,000 for the cost of community engagement and the design process for the proposed skatepark.
"We do applaud and admire the efforts and the commitment of these youth in all they are doing for the skatepark project," said Hunter. "Council has made no commitment to financial support for the skateboard park."
Having the letter of support from the town was needed by the group to continue to fundraise in the community and apply for grants. The society is looking at raising around $500,000 in order to build the skatepark.
Lodermeier said that the society is hoping now that they have a letter the fundraising efforts will take off.
"(We're hoping for) in-kind donations, grants, cash donations from the community, business and service groups," said Lodermeier. "We're basically relying on the Didsbury community. We also have T-shirt sales and we'll be at the block party coming up on June 8."
Anyone who wants to help out can check out the Didsbury Sk8park Society on Facebook.
