By Katie Ryan
If construction plans go according to schedule, skateboarders will be able to do kickflips, ollies and more in the city’s new skate park this October.
The project has been in the works for years, but at the city council meeting held Monday, officials awarded the Common Wealth Centre skateboard park construction tender to New Line Skateparks Inc.
“It’s been a long time coming, it’s been several years to get to this point and we are very excited,” said Corwin McCullagh.
New Line Skateparks, a full service design and construction firm, was one of five contractors who submitted bid packages and was originally endorsed by the city’s skateboard committee. The city awarded New Line Skateparks the $487,000 tender Tuesday morning. Construction is slated to begin at the Common Wealth Centre in July and be completed by October.
“I know the skateboard community is looking forward to having a well designed public space where they can go and feel comfortable doing that without getting hassled,” said McCullagh. “As we know there is some concern on the part of the community as to whether skateboarding is a good sport and whether or not it should be kept in one place where kids can be supervised and where it’s a safe environment.
“We are very excited to have it attached to the CWC because it’s just going to expand the uses of the space that are in and around the building.”
“Because all of the amenities are at the Multiplex it makes sense to have it there. These kids don’t go skate for an hour, they go skate for four or five or 10 hours. Having it there, the bathrooms are there, the restaurant – all of the amenities are there,” said Ian McCoy chairman of the Lloydminster Skateboard Committee in an earlier interview with the Source.
The Maple Ridge, B.C. company whose team consists of active skateboarders, construction professionals, landscape architects and engineers, are popular. New Line’s work can be found in communities across North America including the Callingwood Plaza in Edmonton. With three projects already on the go, McCullagh said the city is confident New Line Skateparks will complete the new 16,000 square-foot park in a timely manner.
“We are happy they can get us in this year. These guys have a fine reputation, they’ve got skateboard (parks) as far as Sweden so they are in high demand. We are excited about having them because we think they are the best at skateboard design,” he said.
“They actually came, took the time and did the consultation process and found out exactly what we needed and have obviously catered their design to what we need here in the community.”
Instead of skateboarding at Bud Miller Park’s small, chain link fenced skate park or creating their own parks around the city, upwards of 600 “steady user” skateboarders have a challenging skate park to look forward to. The skate park will boast a modern plaza, obstacle and transition/bowl elements in a site specific double arm configuration. The design consists of three distinct phases that will be built separately. The multi-use park is not only designed with skateboarders in mind, but also in-line skaters and BMX riders as well.
“It’s an opportunity for them to master their skateboard skills and more than anything get together with kids similar in age and really be able to express themselves,” said McCullagh.
Prep work must be completed before the skate park begins to take form, to prevent any future problems.
“An excellent example is taking a look at the water park that once existed down at Bud Miller Park. With the heaving and the soil conditions in and around, it’s not bad soil, but we do have a problem with drainage here in town,” said McCullagh.
“As a result we want to make sure that we are preventing any long term cracking of the concrete by adding another four inches of subgrade concrete rock to make sure that the drainage is fantastic and therefore the skateboard park can be used up to over 40 years – the lifespan that is planned for it.”
While the skate park does not have an official name yet, McCullagh said the city will consider sponsorship and local donations previously given for the project. The fate of the city’s current skate park in Bud Miller Park has yet to be determined.