Skating on
REGION: Palmerston North’s skate park is a partial construction zone as the school holidays draw to an end, but that has been no obstacle for users.
Palmerston North’s skate park is a partial construction zone as the school holidays draw to an end, but that has been no obstacle for users.
City council leisure assets planner Jason Pilkington said it was amazing to see so many people enjoying the facility, with estimated numbers doubling since the opening of the skate bowl earlier in 2017.
Work was now under way on a $250,000 extension, including a pump track, pyramid ramp, pole jam, more banks and slabs.
The work is being undertaken by Angus Mcmillan Concrete, which also built the skate bowl, while activity carries on around the fenced-off areas.
Mcmillan said the work was being hampered by wet weather.
He said the goal was to complete it by the end of November, ‘‘depending on the weather gods’’, but it could be closer to Christmas.
Pilkington said the new features included the railway sleepers and colour to soften the sea of concrete and capture some of the reserve’s railway history.
The soggy ground had delayed a start on the snake run around the outside of the main facility.
The bowl and nearby wall drop would appeal to more expert skaters, while the snake run was likely to be a hit with younger users, many of them using their scooters.
Pilkington said encouraging users of different abilities to different sections of the park would enhance safety.
The money for the extensions has come from the Eastern and Central Community Trust ($150,000), the Lion Foundation (nearly $80,000), and Mainland Foundation ($20,000).