Youth who frequent Powell River’s community skate park are asking City of Powell River council to take a look at the aging facility due to safety concerns.
Tyson Wilson, a grade 11 student at Brooks Secondary School, has been riding his skateboard and BMX bike at the park for several years. He is spearheading a campaign to have either the current park fixed or a new park constructed.
The current park is located beside Powell River Recreation Complex.
Wilson wrote a letter to council explaining the park’s problems and asking it to intervene.
“I’ve been to other community skate parks and they are much better and safer,” wrote Tyson in his letter.
He has a number of concerns about the way the park was constructed originally, including problems with the angles of the bowl transitions (the curved area of the bowl wall), the condition of the coping (the metal tubing that runs around the lip of the bowl) and the lack of banks outside the bowl for riders to safely land on. Gravel from the road and parking lots at the complex often causes the skateboarders problems and poses a potential hazard.
Access to drinking water is also a concern for the teen boarder. He explained to the Peak that when the complex is closed there are no taps or water fountains in the area for riders to access and when the complex is open, he fills his water bottle up in a bathroom sink with warm water.
He has taken his request online creating a social media group page on Facebook and initiating an online petition to share his concerns.
Councillor Russell Brewer said that council is listening and is currently looking at what can be done. “The obvious discussion around the council is that we’d like to do something,” said Brewer. “Tyson’s letter was great. Very factual and detailed.”
Brewer identified that the current location could be turned into what Councillor Jim Palm described as “a multi-purpose bike and skateboard park.”
“Intuitively, even if you don’t skateboard, you know that something needs to be done with that park,” added Brewer.
Council has asked staff to prepare a report on the park and what could be done to improve the facilities.
