Hart Skateboard Park Slowly Coming Together
Saturday, June 8, 2013 @ 5:03 AM
Prince George, B.C. – The drive to have a skateboard park built in the Hart area of the city is receiving plenty of attention from City Hall and the three Rotary Clubs in Prince George.
Ken Pendergast with Nechako Rotary says it’s a large undertaking “but it gives kids a place to play safely, keeps them out of trouble and off the streets.” Pendergast says there have been three meetings involving the three Rotary Clubs, the City of Prince George and the Hart Community Association, all looking at the feasibility of building such a facility in the Hart. He says the parties came up with two possible locations: Heather Park and Corporal Darren Fitzpatrick Bravery Park near the Eagles Hall.
Pendergast says Bravery Park was selected as the preferred location, for a number of reasons. “First of all it’s highly visible, there’s a children’s playground there, a ball diamond, a paved area that they use in winter as an outdoor ice rink. And so the idea was that if we could build the skateboard park in there it would be highly visible, it’s in a location where adults would bring their younger kids to play at the playground and the older kids could use the skateboard park.” He also says Heather Park appeared prohibitive. “Heather Park is a beautiful site but it’s a bit isolated, and it’s more suited to team sports as opposed to skateboarding, which is kind of an individual thing. So we were a little bit reluctant to suggest that site for that reason. It’s a little too isolated and bad things can happen. It’s all about the kids at the end of the day.”
And Pendergast says because it’s a facility for kids, the people putting this project together are seeking input from those kids, from the users of such a facility. “We want to ask them the question, what about the one across from the Y? Would you like to see changes? That one was built as a skateboard park but we know that it’s used heavily by people with these small bikes. And so there may be some logical changes that these kids would like to see. So we’re going to ask that question.” What a novel idea….ask the users, to which Pendergast responded, “It’s kind of a departure from the thinking of some when you ask a potential user group what they want. We would like to, as much as possible, get it right so that means satisfying the people here on the Hart and satisfying kids that will ultimately use it.”
As far as funding the project goes, Pendergast says “we’re hoping that the three Rotary Clubs can work together to provide funding, but we don’t anticipate that we would be providing all of the funding. We’re hoping there would be other partners that would come forward with either a cash donation or in kind donations. When looking at a project like this with construction we need an engineering firm, contractors, equipment, materials and we hoping that groups like the construction association and various other organizations, that some of that will come to fruition and that will help with the overall cost.”
So what will it cost to build the skateboard park? Well, Pendergast says the downtown park built in 2002 cost 250-thousand-dollars. One built last year in Peachland came in at 225-thousand. He says there are several factors at play. “If it can be built above ground it’s cheaper. If built in-ground, like the one across from the “Y” that’s more expensive. So there are a number of factors that need to be worked out and talked about. So the cost is a bit up in the air right now but will be discussed.”
Pendergast says the hope is to start construction in 2014. He says “it would be nice to have it finished as part of the 100 year celebration of Prince George (in 2015), but that’s not a criteria in itself. We just thought it would be great if things turned out that way.”
By the way, Nechako Rotary is out at Pine Centre, Canadian Tire and Studio 2880 this weekend selling tickets to its 50/50 fundraising raffle. They’re at the halfway mark in selling out all the tickets printed. The cash prize is valued at up to $10,000. The proceeds from the raffle go to the Hart Highway Skateboard Park.
Comments
It’s nice to see talk of some civic development finally coming up to the hart. We seam to get forgotten about up here.
This is good to hear. Hopefully they get a park soon!
Some observations:
1.How many young people can access the proposed facility without getting a ride to it?
2.The new facility for BMX bikes at Duchess Park is very popular at the moment. The street is lined with cars every weekend when the weather is good, but there is not a parking facility near enough since people obviously do not walk the short distance from the parking lot at the school.
3.Things change with time. While the facility on Massey may have been built as a skateboard facility, it has morphed into something different over time. Transportation to the park may be a problem.
4.Think of a skateboard park as a short term investment, sort of like tennis courts which are rarely used in the summer and even more rarely as community outdoor rinks in the winter.
This idea of a skateboard park for the Hart area is a good one, I just wish it did not take 2 to 3 years to (maybe) come to fruition. Not sure about Bravery Park as a location, seems a bit out of the way, being sort of on the North West corner of the main population on the Hart. I thought a good location would be on the vacant land next to the Hart MacDonalds restaurant. I don’t know if the land is privately owned, but perhaps an in kind donation for a tax break would be possible. This location is more central than Bravery Park. The park could be built with volunteer labour, and donations from community minded businesses, using pre existing plans and specs which are surely available for a price. Why wait?
metalman.
Gus
In response to #1 question.
Skateboard or roller blade or ride your bike there. As an alternative,Take a bus.
#2 Why are the streets lined with vehicles?To get there refer to the above.
#3 Refer to the above.
#4 It about time we might possibly get something up in the Hart area. Even the the service clubs are the ones coming up with the funding.Have not seen the city invest anything up here except take more of our tax dollars.
Metalman,
Or the city can build it with our tax dollars. That way at least we would get something from our tax dollars.
” Posted by: gus on June 8 2013 10:22 AM
Some observations:
1.How many young people can access the proposed facility without getting a ride to it?
WHO CARES IF THEY DON’T HAVE A RIDE TO IT. WTH DOES THAT MATTER?
2.The new facility for BMX bikes at Duchess Park is very popular at the moment. The street is lined with cars every weekend when the weather is good, but there is not a parking facility near enough since people obviously do not walk the short distance from the parking lot at the school.
WHY IS A PARKING LOT REQUIRED? IS THERE A REASON IT’S A PROBLEM PEOPLE MIGHT HAVE TO WALK?
PEOPLE CAN PARK WHEREVER THEY LIKE, MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS.
3.Things change with time. While the facility on Massey may have been built as a skateboard facility, it has morphed into something different over time. Transportation to the park may be a problem.
WHAT HAS IT MORPHED INTO? HOW IS TRANSPORTATION A PROBLEM? lAST I CHECKED PEOPLE HAVE LEGS AND FEET.
4.Think of a skateboard park as a short term investment, sort of like tennis courts which are rarely used in the summer and even more rarely as community outdoor rinks in the winter.
YOU MAY THINK OF THEM AS A SHORT TERM INVESTMENT BUT IN REALITY THEY ARE A PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO GATHER FOR SOME OLD FASHIONED FUN!
Try cutting and pasting fun Gus, you may learn something!
Yes, by all means build the kids on the Fart Highway a skate park. It might keep them from hanging out in front of liquor and convenience stores.
DM must have sat on a burr today …… LOL
The sad part is, no one cares. …. *all teary eyed*
BTW, if you did not notice, people have noiw have 24 hours from the time the story is posted to post a comment ….
Luckily DM does not care.
Some people actually do not have legs and feet …. at least not properly working ones ….. but you would not know about that, right DM?
BTW, if I pasted fun on here, it would get removed, so I will censor myself, thank DM.
You are on your own for fun.
“PEOPLE CAN PARK WHEREVER THEY LIKE, MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS”
Actually they are not supposed to park where the sign says no parking. The street Iam referring to is Ross Crescent. No parking there next to the park side. Parking only allowed on the other side where the houses and all the driveways are.
When cars are parked on both sides, it is impossible for some vehicles to get through when another vehicle is coming from the opposite direction.
What is it to me? I live in this city and I go to that area a couple of times a week, so I notice it. Sort of like noticing other things in the community in which I live and caring about it.
I know, there are some people who really do not care. But I do not need to be told that I should not care either. That is when I say: “mind your own business”.
Capisci????
How is it that one individual can turn a news story about the plan to build something positive in the city into his personal rant about parking. I bet he doesn’t like kittens because their too cute .
Glad to see the Hart will be getting a new skate park.
Really can’t see what this has to do with parking lmao.
Must not have been anything else to crap on today.
I agree, retired senior, the city could build the park, but if they did, the idea would have to be studied for a year, then a second year would go by while the city figures out how they are going to pay for it, after that, they’d have to get some consultants in to study it some more.
Doubt they could get it done without a trip to a far away city to see how they did theirs. No, better if the service clubs get together and maybe the city fathers can chip in, provide the land, get a photo op or two.
Am I cynical?
metalman.
Glad to see the Hart is getting this! Right now the kids have to take a bus from here to get to the Skate Park downtown. And they do. I am sure they are capable of walking to the new one up here once it is finished! How come no major sponsors have stepped up to the plate and funded this much needed project? It is unbelievable that it may take another two years to actually see it finished!
The City is broke, apparently.
Rotary funded the skatepark of Massey as well. Rotary has funded quite a number of projects in this community. It is one of the things Rotary does – soccer fields, water spray park, various park shelters, etc. etc.
It would actually be interesting to have all the projects Rotary has funded in this commuunity listed for all to see.
Of course, Rotary is the organization which does the fundraising, some of which comes from its members. But much of it comes from others in the community with Rotary being the initiators of the projects.
So, there is the tax which the City takes in, and then there are the self-imposed donations some people give to provide more money for community projects.
The City really does not fund anything. It is the citizens and companies who do that.
So, no matter what the ammenity, “we” pay for it one way or the other. It is a gift to ourselves because no one else will give us the gift.
Sometimes we can be very kind to ourselves. :-)
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