City of Lethbridge Skatepark

 
The Lethbridge Skateboard Association is currently lobbying the City of Lethbridge to build new outdoor skateboard parks. Here is why we think a new park is needed. This is a copy of the documents we used for our presentation to city council on August 16th, 2010.This is a video of our presentation along with the text of the speech and this is what the media had to say about it.

Don't we already have a park?

The city's current park was designed and built by an engineering firm in 1999. Unfortunately it was placed in an isolated location and wasn't of the best design to begin with. It has fallen into a state of disrepair over the last decade.

Lethbridge's current skateboard park Lethbridge's current skateboard park Lethbridge's current skateboard park Lethbridge's current skateboard park

The new park

The Lethbridge Skateboard Association believes the new park should built in a more prominent location. More than one smaller regional parks in lieu of a large central park is also an option we support. There are specialized companies that design and build outdoor skateboard parks for municipalities all around the world. Canada is lucky to be home to two very respected firms: New Line and Spectrum. The LSA believes in supporting local businesses but also believes that it is absolutely vital to hire one of these specialized professional companies to build the City of Lethbridge's new skateboard park.

Click the thumbnails below for some example renderings of what a modern skateboard park looks like. There are also pictures of finished Skateboard parks in Brantford, Maple Ridge, Brampton, Richmond, Winnipeg, and other locations

Example renderings of a modern outdoor skate park Example renderings of a modern outdoor skate park Example renderings of a modern outdoor skate park Example renderings of a modern outdoor skate park Example renderings of a modern outdoor skate park Example renderings of a modern outdoor skate park Brantford, Ontario skate park Brantford, Ontario skate park Brantford, Ontario skate park Richmond, British Columbia skate park Maple Ridge, British Columbia skate park Maple Ridge, British Columbia skate park Maple Ridge, British Columbia skate park The Beaches Plaza, Toronto, ON Turner Skatepark, Hamilton, ON Turner Skatepark, Hamilton, ON Turner Skatepark, Hamilton, ON Brampton, Ontario skate park Brampton, Ontario skate park Brampton, Ontario skate park Brampton, Ontario skate park Winnipeg, Manitoba skate park Winnipeg, Manitoba skate park Winnipeg, Manitoba skate park Winnipeg, Manitoba skate park Winnipeg, Manitoba skate park

This sounds expensive

A new central park or a couple of regional ones would cost the city approximately 1-2 million dollars in capital costs. The ongoing maintenance costs would be negligible. This combination yields a very low annual cost when amortized over the lifespan of a skateboard park. When compared to the funds spent by the city providing and maintaining facilities for other recreational activities an investment of 1-2 million is actually very reasonable.