It has been a long battle for the Jasper Skatepark Committee, the group pushing for a new skatepark in town.
Led by chairman Darrell Savage, the committee has worked hard to raise more than $100,000 through donations, grants and fundraising events.
Already, more than $50,000 has been spent on producing a detailed design and concept for the new skatepark - put together by New Line Skateparks, a top-rated company that has made skateparks all over the world.
The new skatepark would fit in the footprint of the current park - but utilizing the square footage much better with new ramps, landscaping and benches.
The committee has the design, use of land, and all the right permissions - they just need to raise the money to get shovels in the ground.
And they are grafting hard to get the cash.
The total cost of the build sits at $800,000 - but increasing construction costs mean this number could rise as years go by, and it has already been six years since this bid started.
But Savage is confident that if they can get half of that number, the other half could be paid for by an Alberta Community Facility Enhancement Program (CFEP) grant. Half of Banff’s new $1.5 million skatepark was paid for the same way, so why not?
But that still leaves $350,000 to be raised before the grant application can go ahead.
The committee’s bank balance has been slowly rising thanks to fundraisers and donations, but it takes a lot to get to $400,000 a few thousand bucks at a time.
So now, Savage is reaching out to local businesses and service providers who might be able to give him a bigger boost and help get this new skatepark finally built.
And in the meantime, he has asked council to help cover the shortfall.
The committee just wants council to say they will cover the extra $350,000 needed to apply for the CFEP grant - and they will continue to work on bringing in money to cover that amount themselves.
It’s not the first time he’s asked them for help, but perhaps this year they will see the value of this project and give it the funding it needs.
The COVID-19 pandemic has adjusted spotlights and priorities. With no team sports this summer, kids and adults are looking at different ways to keep active outdoors.
Jasper skatepark is a great place for kids to get some exercise, meet with friends - and keep physically distanced. It’s a small area with its own community - younger and older kids learning, practising, playing and looking out for one another.
Plus, skatepark sports are virtually free to take part in.
This may be a tough year financially but I think an up-to-$350,000 investment from council would be a great move. (Dare I mention?) It is also a fraction of the cost of the $800,000 new slide in the aquatic centre, which, due to a series of unfortunate events, is yet to be used.
I would love to see this project come to fruition, to reward the hard efforts of the skatepark committee and give something great to the community.
Fuchsia Dragon
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