New skateboard park for Norwood
Brothers raise $2,500 for township’s new skateboard park project at Asphodel-Norwood Community Centre
NORWOOD -- Diligence is paying off for a pair of Norwood brothers pushing for a new skateboard park in their township.
St. Paul School students Brody and Blake Graham are one step closer to potentially seeing their dream park come to life.
Asphodel-Norwood Township has hired the Canadian Rail Company to do a study and create a design for a new skate park, replacing the current park at the Asphodel-Norwood Community Centre.
Brody, a Grade 7 student, and Blake, a Grade 5 student, ride their scooters at the park nearly everyday.
But it’s overcrowded, with up to 30 youths using it at once, said Laurie-Ann Graham, the boys’ mother.
So the boys decided to raise money for a new and bigger park.
They also went before township council in April and June to speak about their goal.
And as shy, soft-spoken lads, that was terrifying. (Their mother admitted it on their behalf ).
Brody and Blake have raised more than $2,500 to date. They sell bags of candy at Jack’s Family Restaurant in Norwood, where Graham works. They also had a yard sale this summer, selling old toys.
And they went door-to-door in Norwood collecting signatures for a petition for a new park. The petition is also online and has garnered 668 signatures.
To help cover the cost of the Canadian Rail Co.’s work, the boys forked over their funds. They handed over $1,800 in June and another $500 at the end of the summer. The township’s parks division kicked in the rest to make up the $5,000 that was needed.
Greg Hartwick, AsphodelNorwood Township’s manager of community centre, parks and facilities, said he’s hoping Canadian Rail Co. will have their work done by the end of the year.
The company will visit Norwood to explore the existing park, seeing what can be salvaged, and get input from local kids who use the park. Then they’ll create a proposal detailing costs and deliver a design.
Hartwick said he’s pretty impressed with what the Graham boys have done so far.
“I think it’s pretty remarkable what they’ve done actually in that period of time. They’ve raised a good chunk of money and are showing a lot of initiative,” he said.
Their mother is impressed, too. Her sons have stuck with their goal, never wavering, even when they could use the money themselves.
Brody’s scooter was recently stolen and Blake’s is broken. Yet instead of using the money they’ve raised to buy themselves new gear, they’re still focused on the park.
“That’s not often what we see anymore, so I’m very proud of what they’re doing,” she said.
Since donating their pot to the township, the boys have already raised more than $200.
And they’re not going to stop “until we get a new skate park,” Brody said.