Ladysmith’s council chambers was nearly standing room only on Feb. 7 as around a dozen skaters and members of the Leadership Society of Vancouver Island were on hand to express their desire see upgrades made to the skatepark.
The park, around 10 years old, is in need of some improvements and safety upgrades.
Rocks and dirt being pushed onto track and decaying infrastructure were some of the concerns outlined by skaters at the meeting.
Mayor Rob Hutchins asked the skaters if they were pleased with the new design as he did not want to see another group of skaters coming back to council in a few years asking for more money because of the new design.
One of the skaters pointed out the current design is good, but complained the park was built poorly.
The new design is good, considering the size they have to work with said one skater.
The groups have already collected $19,000 in in-kind donations so far and were asking council for up to $12,000 to complete the park.
Carrie Alexander, who is with the leadership society, said the group needed a project to take on for their course and knew many skaters were unhappy with their park.
“I guess the kids have been asking about it for many years,” said Alexander.
“We thought ... let’s work with the kids.”
Alexander said there are six people in her group helping with the park project.
Alexander said the project is still fairly new, but added so far it has been very rewarding working with the park users.
The groups are aiming to have the project completed by the end of May as they are planning to use students from Ladysmith Secondary School programs to help with the construction.
Alexander said the groups are planning further fundraising events and parties in the future. Keep reading The Chronicle for more on how you can get involved.