The long awaited Trail Sk8 Park officially broke ground Monday at Gyro Park.
Mayor Mike Martin, council members, and representatives from the Society for the Friends of the Trail Skatepark (Society), New Line Skateparks and Columbia Basin Trust (Trust) commemorated the significant occasion with a sod-turning photo at the construction site.
Trees have been felled and ground is now being levelled near the boat launch before actual construction begins. The timeline for completion is late September.
“The Trail SK8 Park will become a reality this fall, and we couldn’t be more pleased,” said Mayor Mike Martin.
“After nearly 20 years of work by various councils in contemplating design options, location concepts along with a number of funding alternatives, we are delighted to see commencement today of a project much asked for by our community.”
New Line Skateparks, a Langley-based builder of large-scale municipal skate parks, has been working with the city for a number of years to develop the park design-build concept.
The project came to fruition after the Trust came through with a $150,000 recreation infrastructure grant last year, and council’s commitment of $445,000 to complete the project in 2018.
Additional fundraising by the Society of $80,000 in cash contributions and $8,500 of in-kind services, as well as a donation of $30,000 USD from the Murphy Family Foundation, is being directed into the capital project budget.
Donors who contributed $100 or more, will be recognized on bronze plaques that will be installed on a decorative donor wall at the skate park site.
“We are so appreciative of the grant funding and fundraising contributions,” said Martin.
“These donations demonstrate the dedication and commitment to our community, the SK8 Park project and our youth. The park will be a safe place for skateboarders, BMX bike riders, wheelchair and push/kick scooter users who want to develop athletic skills while facing the fun challenges of the park’s rails, bowls, and pipes. It will also have an area to accommodate spectators and will be a wonderful addition to Gyro Park’s other family-friendly all ages amenities.”
