The McArthur Island skate park is popular even in the winter.
Image Credit: Adrian Falk
February 05, 2016 - 2:30 PM
KAMLOOPS - A high school student is looking to raise money for an expansion of the skateboard park on McArthur Island.
High school student Adrian Falk is starting a planning committee and fundraising group to add a third stage to the skate park.
“What we’ll do is figure what we want and then what it’ll cost and then start fundraising towards that goal,” says Falk.
While he’s not sure of costs right now, he thinks it could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“You have to get a skate park specific crew to do it,” he says.
He’s looking to add a street style area in a plaza format. This type of skateboarding comes from using street fixtures, such as steps and rails, for the tricks.
“People don’t want skaters on the streets,” Falk says. “There isn’t anything like this at the park. If something like this got put in, it would make skating on the street less popular.”
He adds that this style of skating is currently the most popular style in the world. He envisions steps, ledges and planters being part of the design.
The current park has a bowl section and quarter pipes. Falk says the current set up is good, but a plaza format could mean more growth for Kamloops’ skate board community.
“Even with the skate park as it is, people from out of town come to skate it,” says Falk. “With having this second area, one of my goals is to host a contest series and get more things happening.”
The current skate park doesn’t work for competitions because of its size and visibility. Judges aren't able to see the whole area or the tricks being performed; a street style plaza area would remedy that.
He believes there was intention to build a third stage to the skate park, but it was abandoned. There's a grassy area near the skate park that he doesn’t see used.
“There was at one point a rough blueprint of what it could look like,” he says.
He’s seen people use it a little, but as it has no shelter or specific purpose, it’s not a popular spot.
There is another city skate park, but Falk thinks improving the McArthur Island location is a better move.
“There is a downtown skate park. It’s some crappy ramps in a parking lot,” Falk says. “It’s really small. It’s a skate park in the city’s mind, but it’s unusable in the skaters mind.”
He originally thought about taking the skate park upgrade to the city for this years budget, he’s changed plans and working towards next year.
“I’m now looking at making a committee to fundraise and plan for next years budget,” Falk says.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Brendan Kergin at bkergin@infonews.ca or call 250-819-6089. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
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