Skate park to swell with funding boost
Plans for further extensions to Palmerston North’s skate park have leapt forward, with teenager Keanu Ross helping win a $150,000 grant from the Eastern and Central Community Trust.
Following the opening of the $180,000 skate bowl that the city council paid for, he and users Dylan Bell and Craig Mclay were part of the team that convinced the trust to help complete the project.
The new additions will include a pump track or snake run for younger users, a pyramid ramp and pole jam, and additional ramps around the edge of the park.
Council leisure assets planner Jason Pilkington said the young users and Mclay, the original advocate for the park, did a great job of presenting their case.
‘‘I talked about the numbers and things, but these guys really sold it.’’
Pilkington said $150,000 was the biggest grant the trust had ever given for a skate park.
‘‘The key thing is that although some people still do not think of it as a sport, there is a lot of etiquette and mentoring and self discipline that goes on, and it takes a lot of grit to become good at it.’’
Mclay said now skateboarding was an Olympic sport, having great facilities offered young and older skaters a chance to build an Olympic dream.
The park was well used by young men who had left school, who were at risk of otherwise lapsing into sedentary lifestyles after giving up organised sport.
Trust general manager Jonathan Bell said the trustees were impressed with the enthusiasm of the young presenters.
The next stage of the extensions will cost $250,000, with railway sleeper seating and refurbished block work to match the skate bowl ramp to be included.
Pilkington said the grant put the team in a strong position with applications to other organisations for the extra $100,000.
The project would be completed by specialists Angus Mcmillan Concrete, who had installed the skate bowl.