It seems there is a growing interest in a skateboard park in Arthur.
Recent minutes of Wellington North’s recreation committee indicated support is growing, but there area number of questions that still need to be answered. The minutes of Feb. 18 noted a delegation of Arthur parents and youth interested in the building of a skateboard park.
Cliff Heffernan spoke as the representative of the delegation and reported on a meeting held Feb. 17 that was attended by 14 parents and youths. They discussed the formation of a questionnaire to identify the needs and what they would like incorporated into a skateboard park. One youth is launching a web site and it should be in operation next week.
Mayor Mike Broomhead asked that the minutes be amended to clarify a substantially high number of people at the meeting, which he believed was 30 to 50.
Recreation chairman Bob Mason said the minutes were from an advance meeting to the meeting the following night.
The next meeting was scheduled will involve a steering committee to be formed represented by parents, youth, service clubs and the township.
At that point a questionnaire was to be completed and should be available on line. With that information, a proposal will be formulated to be submitted to the township, perhaps by March break.
Suggestions were the park could be built in stages over the next two to three years.
Youths would fundraise and show ownership in the project. Greg Hunter presented an aerial view of the Arthur facilities and spoke about a location. Those attending felt a proposal should be formed before a location is decided.
Hunter mentioned the possibility of donated material and labour. He will also locate other municipal property in Arthur that could be a suitable location for the park. Someone said it should be visible and also not encroach on neighbors in the area.
Committee members had a number of suggestions for the delegation to consider:
– the need for a plan is of utmost importance.
– location is most important for visibility and not to have a negative effect on neighbours.
– look at funding, such as Trillium, service clubs, maybe the township could help.
– consider a multi-use park, not just for skateboarding.
– visit other parks in the area for ideas and maybe use their plan;
– A proposal should be presented to the township as soon as possible.
Skate board park survey
A copy of the survey being circulated was recently emailed to the Wellington Advertiser office.
Its intent is to gauge the interest level of constructing a park in Arthur. The survey is a first step to determine the interest level and if it is viable.
The results will be presented to the recreation committee and council.
The survey is designed to help officials understand the interest level. Committee members asked to ensure the age section is filled out so they know if it was completed by a youth, teenager, or adult.
Name and contact information is requested, but again optional.
It asks for some information as to the person’s activities such as: skateboard, rollerblade or BMX cyclist, and how often a person skates and how many days of the month would the person would use the park.
It also considers if the structure would be permanent or portable and what types of materials would be used.
For more information or a copy of the survey contact Cliff Heffernan at 519-848-5326 or at cliff_heffernan@bwdsb.on.ca.
