The rebuild of the Kyle Scow Memorial Skatepark in Port Hardy has officially commenced.
After the community was given the opportunity to design their own version of the skatepark at the Don Cruickshank Memorial Arena back in June, the proposed skatepark design was then presented to the residents of Port Hardy at a community meeting on Aug. 26, where the design was ultimately met with many positive reactions from the crowd.
Comox-based company Radius Skateparks is in charge of the rebuild, and Port Hardy mayor Pat Corbett-Labatt said in a phone interview with the North Island Gazette that she's really pleased to see the construction process begin after many years of attempting to secure grant funding to fix up the 21-year-old skatepark.
"The project is going ahead, it's on schedule, and [council is] really happy about that," she added.
Radius is anticipating finishing construction by the end of winter/early spring, depending on the weather. The skatepark project has a $550,000 budget which was funded through a non-restricted recreational grant from the BC government.
The KSM skatepark was originally built in 2003 thanks to a $20,000 donation from the Port Hardy Rotary Club that went towards the cement pad, a $20,000 grant from the Vancouver Foundation that went towards building the ramps, numerous fundraisers put on by the now defunct Port Hardy Skateboard Club, as well as other donations from local businesses to help cover any shortfalls.
