After months of waiting, the City of West 琉璃神社鈥檚 new skatepark was unveiled on Sept. 22.
During an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, West 琉璃神社鈥檚 city councillors celebrated the new park. Westbank First Nation (WFN) councillor Jordan Coble also attended the ceremony.
鈥淥n behalf of Westbank First Nation, I just want to express our gratitude for the continued efforts to recreate our relationships together,鈥� he said.
鈥淚 think the word recreate is part of the word recreation and that鈥檚 what our communities are focused on right now: is understanding how we interact with one another.鈥�
Mayor Gord Milsom expressed his excitement on the opening of the new skatepark, saying that he and council members have heard positive feedback so far.
鈥淭he skating community has been involved from the get-go. They helped give input as far as the design, so they know what鈥檚 been going on,鈥� he said.
鈥淚鈥檝e just heard good things from our staff and from people, and they said they鈥檙e really enjoying it so we鈥檙e pleased. It seems like it鈥檚 a success.鈥�
The new skatepark鈥檚 features include:
- A mini ramp at one end of the smaller bowl
- Open entrance to the bowls for better flow and safer crossings
- An 鈥渋sland鈥� feature to allow looping circulation
- Bank features for variety and to maintain skateboard flow
- Flexible space to accommodate recreation and cultural programming; the space can also serve as an overflow area when not in use
- Seating areas and bottle filling station
Now that the new skatepark is finished, the old one will be decommissioned to prepare for the construction of the city鈥檚 new city hall and library facility. The city added that a public opening event is in the works for 2022, but the event is dependent on public health restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Milsom also surprised the crowd, tasking the parks and recreation department to come up with a contest in partnership with the Okanagan Regional Library and WFN to give away a trio of skateboards and helmets through a youth contest. The specifics of the contest will be announced at a later date.
Once complete, the city hall and library will be adjacent to the new skatepark.
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