Council pushed a funding decision for the new skateboard park to budget discussions following a request for $225,000 last week.
“We didn’t want to be in this position at this time where we’ve got half the funding for the park and we need to make a pretty big ask from you guys,” said Mat Rebelo, a director with the Columbia Valley Skateboard Association, at last week’s council meeting.
Rebelo sat through a 3.5 hour council meeting to make his plea for the funding, which the CVSA says is necessary so they can build in 2017, before other grant funding expires.
He said a new skateboard park would be heavily used like it is in other communities. “If we had something even half decent, this whole room would be filled with skateboarders and their families,” said Rebelo. “We need a better facility and we need to make a push now or else it’s not going to happen.”
Mayor Mark McKee noted the city backed the skateboard park for federal infrastructure grants that didn’t come through, possibly at the expense of other facilities.
“We’ve supported it probably to the detriment of other facilities that are looking to get in the queue. We have to get on with it and get off the pot,” he said.
The CVSA says the new park will cost about $1 million, and it has raised about half that so far. It is seeking $225,000 from the city, $200,000 from the Columbia Shuswap Regional District and $125,000 from business and individuals.
