The Kyle Scow Memorial Skatepark's grand reopening ceremony officially has a date.
The District of Port Hardy's Chief Administrative Officer Heather Nelson-Smith confirmed via email the celebration is scheduled for Sunday, July 27 from 3-5 p.m.
While the park has technically been open for use for months now ever since Radius Skateparks, who were in charge of the rebuild project, finished their work on it, Port Hardy council needed a bit of time to finalize all the details so they could put together an official reopening ceremony, which will include brand new artwork.
In an interview over the phone, Port Hardy mayor Pat Corbett-Labatt confirmed there will be some exciting festivities going on during the ceremony, which will include an official ribbon cutting, and much more.
"We've got some special blank skateboards that can be tagged," Corbett-Labatt stated, noting the boards will be hung up around the skatepark after they've been designed. "We also have a really cool sign that will be mounted at the park to honour Kyle Scow."
Scow, who the original skatepark was named after when it was first built in 2003, was a local teen skater who passed away in the late 90's.
Corbett-Labatt said the memorial sign for Scow is "pretty fantastic... When Heather first showed it to me, my thoughts were, 'that looks amazing'."
Kwakiutl First Nation chief Calvin Hunt is also donating some Indigenous artwork, which will be embedded at the skatepark.
"We're planning to make this reopening very special for everybody," Corbett-Labatt said. "We want everybody to come out, so bring your skateboards, scooters, bikes. All wheels are welcome."
The rebuild of the KSM Skatepark had a $550,000 budget, which was funded through a non-restricted recreational grant from the BC government.
The KSM Skatepark was originally built thanks to a $20,000 donation from the Port Hardy Rotary Club going towards the cement pad, a $20,000 grant from the Vancouver Foundation that went towards building the plastic ramps, as well as numerous fundraisers put on by the now defunct Port Hardy Skateboard Club, as well as other donations from local businesses to help cover the shortfalls.
