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Rolling with the punches
by Corey LeBlanc coreyleblanc@thecasket.ca
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Kale MacFarlane (left) and Michael MacDonald are a couple of the local skateboarders who hoped a temporary half pipe could be constructed in Antigonish for the summer season. Eventually, they and their fellow local enthusiasts of the sport would like to have a permanent location constructed. (Corey LeBlanc photo)
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Although the road has been a long one, proponents for the construction of a permanent skate park in Antigonish continue to roll forward.
“We need a place to hang out. There are no skateboarding spots in Antigonish, especially with jumps,” skateboarder Kale MacFarlane said.
“It would be better than getting yelled at and kicked out of places,” fellow enthusiast Michael MacDonald said.
“It would also be safer,” Kale said.
While cradling the board in his hands, Kale added a permanent location for skateboarders to practice would help the sport.
“I know a lot of people who are not skateboarding or have not started because there is nowhere to do it.”
After chatting with the Casket on that Friday afternoon, the duo jumped in a car. Kale’s mother Nancy was driving them to P.E.I. to see a skate park and to have an opportunity to board.
Since the removal of a skate park located at Columbus Field, which was constructed more than a decade ago, there have been temporary spots located at St. F.X. University and its property on Highway #7.
Over the years, the Antigonish Highland Skateboarding Association (AHSA), which includes young skateboarders, parents and supporters, has led the push for a place for the sport’s lovers to call their own.
AHSA president John Bueglas said the organization said the focus remains construction of a permanent skate park. Until that can happen, the goal is the establishment of a temporary location.
“It’s easy to confuse these two goals but our youth need a safe place now and a well planned permanent skate park later,” Bueglas said.
“We are hoping to find a temporary location a half pipe which requires only 16 by 24 feet. The permanent location would have a lot more structures and space to suit skateboarders in the long term.”
The group’s attempt to locate the temporary space
at Columbus Field was denied.
“Having been unsuccessful over the last five years in finding a site for our previous temporary three-piece skate park, which was set up on a St. F.X. parking lot in 2004 and required a larger area, this year we decided to scale down our request to a simple half pipe which would require minimal space,” Bueglas explained, noting the group thought the modified proposal would be “easy to fit” into an existing park like Columbus Field.
“It is a model we believed Antigonish could follow easily and provide for its citizens but this appears to create great difficulty for the town council,” Bueglas said.
Bueglas added Nova Scotia has more than 40 municipally-owned and operated skate parks, some of which are temporary.
In a previous interview, Town of Antigonish mayor Carl Chisholm said the latest decision regarding the skate park came from the Columbus Club, which owns Columbus Field.
“They’ve said that under no circumstances would they allow a temporary skateboard park or a permanent skateboard park to be erected at Columbus Field,” Chisholm said.
“Council had no say in that whatsoever, because Columbus Club is the one that owns it.”
Bueglas said the decision was “discouraging.”
“We’d be interested to find out their reasons and we also hope they will respond in writing to our written request to them sent in mid-June,” the AHSA president added.
“Especially considering that the purpose of Columbus Field is to provide for the recreational needs of both younger and older youth as stated at the July 1 celebrations at St. F.X.
“We’d like to be given the opportunity to work together with the Town and the Columbus Club to make our half pipe project happen at another location and we await their input,” Bueglas added.
With Columbus Field “ever-changing” and areas of the site already being used for other activities, St. Ninian Council 1105 Knights of Columbus president Bill MacNeil said there is not an adequate spot to locate the proposed park when asked at the time about the club’s refusal of the AHSA proposal.
“We feel there is a suitable piece of property out there, but it is not Columbus Field,” MacNeil said, noting his group has and continues to offer its assistance to AHSA in finding a location.
Bueglas agreed time is running out to find a location this summer for a temporary half pipe.
“However, we’re still waiting to hear back on two other possible sites we have inquired about but we believe that the temporary skate park should be on a publicly owned site,” he said.
If the group was provided with a list of location choices the town would support, Bueglas said the association could survey its membership to come to a “mutual consensus of all the stakeholders.”
“If we could find such a location for a half pipe this summer, we could still build it. It would get some use this fall and we’d be all ready for spring and next summer. So it’s still a goal worth pursuing.
Permanent solution
Bueglas said association members and supporters are willing to work with town and county councils, or anyone interested, on finding a suitable location for a skate park.
“The sad thing is we still don’t have anyplace for these kids to skate. We don’t have the resources to do this alone,” he said.
“We wonder why our not-for-profit organization and our initiative over the years cannot be seen as ‘value-added’ to town and county recreation programs.”
Because of the lack of a local park, Bueglas said the association has organized a number of recreational activities over the last five years for its members, including trips to other skate parks.
“But, we no longer have the human resources to do this. Many of our children are grown up and gone and many of our former youth directors are now away at college or working,”
Bueglas said he is hopeful the association’s new executive will be able to revitalize the organization and renew the energy it has been noted for by recruiting new people.
“Hopefully, they will be able to continue to organize road trips and fundraisers that will add to our current savings of $16,000 towards a concrete skate park,” he said.
AHSA has created a sister charitable organization which will allow AHSA to issue tax receipts for fundraising activities organized for construction of a permanent skate park, he added.
“We are in a process of renewal and rebuilding our own volunteer base and as always our priority is for our youth to have a safe place to skate now rather than later,” Bueglas said.
For more information
about AHSA, visit www.sk8antigonish.ca
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cher35 wrote:
it is very sad to see that there is still no place for kids in this town, what about all the funds to upgrade feilds for recreational use for the town , why hasn't there been a spot in those areas worked into plans for a skatepark. that is sad sad
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