Skateboard coalition raising funds for West Shore all-wheels park
The Westshore Skate Park Coalition is looking to raise $100,000 to build an all-wheels park for skateboarders, scooters and BMX riders at the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre.
The budget to build the new park on donated land near the Q Centre in Colwood is pegged at a little more than $760,000. Skaters were left with nowhere to skate after the only facility on the West Shore was demolished near the former Belmont High School in Langford six years ago.
“It’s sad that we have to fight for a skate park when it was taken from us,” said Westshore Skate Park Coalition president Jimmy Miller. “This is a beautiful piece of land that we have and it’s a gift, so we have a spot, we have a design and we have donations in kind to make this happen, but we’re just not at that creation stage yet.”
Miller hopes that by launching the “100X1000” campaign, the coalition can find 100 donors or group donors to donate $1,000 each to build the new park.
“May be there’s a neighbourhood where there’s a bunch of skateboarders that all see the strength in our project and they want to go in on it together,” said Miller. “After six years we hope our project and the amount of good it will make can be seen.”
Miller says with no skating facility on the West Shore, people who want to use a skate park are forced to travel to the Vic West Skate Park, the Tulista Skate Park in Sidney or the facility in Sooke.
“It’s been tough for all of us, especially families because we’re all looking for places to go for our kids that are free of charge,” said Miller. “This is the exact same argument for playgrounds in your neighbourhood, if we want to grow our communities we need to invest in our communities. So let’s build something that means something and this skate park can be that something.”
Miller says having a skate park at the Juan de Fuca Recreation Centre would offer a family-friendly activity with amenities, such as a municipal golf course and a lacrosse box nearby.
“When we get this skate park built we will address a need,” said Miller. “It will be overflowing with kids that didn’t have some place to go.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.