On Wednesday, November 6th Kyle Dion and his team from New Line Skateparks will be coming to Oliver to do an inspection of the Oliver Skatepark and hold a concept design workshop with park users at the Oliver Community Centre.

A pair of local youth made initial contact with His Worship Mayor Ron Hovanes at the end of the summer and set up a subsequent meeting with Parks and Recreation Manager Carol Sheridan that drew over 35 park users of all ages to the park on Sept 11.  This meeting was an opportunity to walk through the park facility with the users and gain a better understanding of safety and design concerns as well as discuss the process that would need to happen in order to make any changes to the existing facility.   This process was kick-started on Sept 16 when a delegation of youth presented their concerns about the Oliver Skatepark to the Oliver Parks and Recreation Society.  The Society passed a resolution to instruct staff to bring in an expert in the field of skatepark facilities to do a site inspection, meet with the local users to gather feedback, and create a report including a concept design and costing formula for potential improvements to the park.  This report will be reviewed by the Society in 2014.

The Oliver Skatepark was built in 2000 as a result of years of hard work and tireless efforts by a local group of caring individuals who formed the Oliver Skatepark Society, in partnership with the Town of Oliver.  Funds and building materials came from in-kind donations from service clubs, local businesses as well as the Town of Oliver and a one-time grant from the “Spirit of BC”.  Over the years the park has seen much use by children, youth and adults from all over the world and this subsequent “wear and tear” on the facility is showing.

The style of skateboarding and other small wheel use such as scooters has changed significantly since the park’s completion almost 15 years ago, as well as the general use of Lion’s Park where the skatepark is located.  The local youth who spend time at the park regularly feel that the time has come to “revitalize” the Oliver skatepark facility to meet the changing needs and trends of small wheel sports and ensure all the features are safe for park users.

The design workshop hosted by New Line is open to the general public and will be held on Wednesday, Nov 6 at 6:00pm in Meeting Room 2 at the Oliver Community Centre. Carol Sheridan from Oliver Parks and Recreation encourages as many of the local park users as possible to come out to the meeting and provide their ideas and input.

For more information please contact Carol Sheridan at 498-4985 or email carol@oliverrecreation.ca