Mayor Lyn Hall, Colleen and Jim Fitzpatrick, Neil Godbout and Krista French  dig – photos 250News

Prince George, B.C.- There have been months of  consultation  and design,  and now the  skateboard park  at the Corporal Darren Fitzpatrick Bravery Park  is  under construction.

The park, named in honour of Cpl. Darren Fitzpatrick who succumbed to injuries  suffered  while serving in Afghanistan,  will eventually be  a community park complete with  a dog park,  expanded playground area,  multi purpose sport court,  ice rink improvements landscaped berms  and trees  to provide a noise buffer for  neighbouring residents,  and a picnic and bar-b-q area.

The park was a special place for  Cpl. Fitzpatrick.  Growing up in the Hart area,  he spent many hours playing there as a child.

The complete design of the park  includes a “poppy plaza” with red concrete paving, planting beds and interpretive memorial signage.

“There has been a considerable amount of work over the years”  said Mayor Lyn Hall   as he acknowledged  the hard work  done by Hart Community  representative Kristy French.  “They have been doggedly going after this” said Mayor Hall, “Today I am pleased to say, here we are.”

“This is a great  day”  said Cpl. Fitzpatrick’s mother,  Colleen  “As a family we are very pleased the City is going to retain the bravery,  the remembrance   theme in honour of those who have served,  our veterans, so that means a lot to our family.”

With a Colour Guard from the  Legion Branch 43  on hand ,  The Mayor,  the Fitzpatricks, Krista French and Rotary’s Neil Godbout  dug into the dirt and tossed the sand.   The Rotary Club was instrumental in paying for the plans for the  design of the park,  contributing $25 thousand dollars  that had been collected from donations made during the Rotary Club’s  Operation Red Nose  program.

Mayor Hall, presented the Fitzpatricks with a special plaque to mark today’s official “sod turning”,   then, Colleen and husband Jim,  raised the  flag  on the newly installed  flag pole at the park.

The cost of the skateboard portion of the park is $500 thousand dollars  and  the skateboard  park is expected to be complete by the end of August.

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