The sound of spinning skateboard wheels carving up the rails and banks of a brand new skate park in Squamish could become a reality as early as this summer.
Backed by co-operation from Squamish Council with overwhelming support of the community, plans have been flowing smoothly for Richard Trann and Anthony Margarit, head organizers of the new skate park.
"We've been getting a lot of co-operation from council and the planning department - they've all been great helping us through this process," said Trann, Squamish Youth Centre co-ordinator.
Trann and Margarit are optimistic about the park opening this summer, and have good reason to believe their dream will be realized. With a hugely successful fundraising campaign and a anonymous donation to the generous tune of $8,500, financial concerns are being surmounted and developments are going ahead as planned. They have also received support from the Garibaldi Springs Golf Resort, who plan to host a charity golf tournament on their behalf. RF Binnie and Associates have provided free surveying of the skate park site and have donated time and services for much of the preliminary work. Frank Bauman completed the geotech survey of the property.
The youth that will be using the park are also the ones who have raised a good chunk of the money. The Youth Organized Events crew (YOE), made up of a group of young people involved in the Squamish Youth Centre, have held ongoing fundraising events throughout the past year such as bottle drives and car washes, and have raised more than $3,000 to date.
"They're really keen to help out any way they can," said Trann. "This is going to be their park so they want to be able to say that they made it possible."
The biggest fundraiser to date for the skate park was the successful Art & Soul event at Totem Hall on Nov. 1. The event featured an art auction, painted models with some truly wacky avante-garde hair designs, a dance performance and live music. The feedback from the edgy and dynamic evening bowled them over, as did the amount of money raised. When the evening was over and the dollars tallied up, they counted more than $8,500. This enabled them to kick-flip over the first hurdle - paying the designer to come to Squamish and design the park.
Jim Barnum, a skate park designer-extraordinaire, came to town shortly thereafter to begin the process. He talked with students from Howe sound and Don Ross Secondary schools about their ideas for the park.
"The consultation process with the students was excellent," said Trann. "They were stoked about what was going on and the fact that they were being consulted - they felt like they were part of the process."
Organizers now have finished plans in their hands as well as an engineering report, and they like what they see.
"The use of space has been very well though out and well-designed," said Margarit. "We encourage people to come to the Youth Centre to check it out. It really is one of the best designed parks in the Lower Mainland."
Trann and Margarit plan to keep the momentum building, with the announcement of a sequel to the November fundraising extravaganza. The next edition, aptly named Art & Soul 2, is set for Saturday, Feb. 28 at Totem Hall. Round two of this unique event will feature much more of the same eclectic entertainment, with the main focus on raising funds through the art auction.
"We've really been pushed by the community to have another one," said Margarit, owner of the Dedicated skate shop on Second Avenue.
"The response was incredible because it was unique."
"There's so much stuff going on at Art & Soul," added Trann. "It makes for a very eclectic crowd and a great mix of people all there to support skating in Squamish."
Coming in at just under 15,000 square feet (55m x 33m), the skate park will be built close to the Youth Centre so all users will have access to the facilities during business hours. In the future, plans call for a viewing deck to be built for competitions, so parents and spectators can watch the action, as well as the possibility of outdoor lighting and washrooms.
"There's tonnes of excitement about the park - I hear it everyday," said Margarit. "Everyone just wants to see this thing get built - and it will."
