July 18, 2003
Totally rad dude!
Finally something for kids to do
Iqaluit recreation department
buys skate parks
CHARLOTTE
PETRIE
Skateboarders, BMX bikers,
rollerbladers and in-line skaters of Iqaluit unite. A super-cool, ultra-rad
skate park is coming to town.
The city's recreation department
has purchased two portable skate parks scheduled to arrive in August. Fully
equipped with a launch ramp, flat bank, quarter pipe, table top middle, two
table ends, a two-by-eight fun box and large and small rails, these movable
recreation areas are suited for the beginner as well as the skilled.
After four months of research,
the recreation department stumbled across the mini portable parks, which are
stored in trailers and easily assembled. City staff said they were pleased and
fortunate to find a design suitable to their needs at a relatively cheap price,
compared with many American products on the market which are expensive and high-tech.
The design is the result
of similar frustrations felt by staff at the Caledon Centre For Recreation and
Wellness in the town of Bolton, Ontario. Inundated by pricey American products,
local staff decided to design their own skate park, and went into the business
of selling and renting their innovative new product as well.
The city of Iqaluit purchased
two 24-foot roadmaster trailers each containing nine pieces of equipment for
$76,850, including the cost of freight. The simplicity of the design allows
for quick and easy set up anywhere around town where concrete exists. The pieces
can be assembled by a couple of kids, who the recreation department plans to
hire as summer students.
But it's the versatility
of the design that really caught the eye of Simon Adams, the city's recreation
facility and operations manager.
"They are especially
good for us because the weather in Iqaluit is so unpredictable that we can set
up half of it on the ice pad in the Arctic Winter Games arena and still use
the other half of the rink space for sports like ball hockey," Adams said.
When the weather is nice,
the park can be set up outside, either in front of the new arena or in a more
central area such as the basketball courts in front of Nakasuk School.
"I've seen some of
the kids out in front of the fire department skateboarding - not the most appropriate
or safest place for them to play," Adams added.
Adams, a retired skateboarder
who now prefers in-line skating, began tossing around the idea of a skate park
about four years ago. But it wasn't until the city started laying pavement in
some areas that the possibility became real.
"Once we got concrete
out in front of the new Arctic Winter Games arena I started seriously looking
into it," Adams said.
"You've got to be
careful and not give away the farm when buying equipment, because things like
skateboarding can sometimes be a fad. But there are quite a few kids around
here that skateboard, and there'll probably be more once the parks arrive."
And more skateboarders
could translate into more business for local stores carrying sporting equipment.
Kids using the parks will be required to wear proper gear, such as knee and
elbow pads Adams said he plans to approach a few of the local businesses about
adding this kind of equipment to their shelves.
The recreation department
will also be hiring several students with first aid certification to supervise
the parks.
"There are a lot of
liability issues so we'll need trained supervisors, which we will make a part
of our program," he added.
The recreation department
also plans to rent the equipment out to groups around town.
City councillors voted
unanimously in favour of purchasing the equipment at its July 8 meeting. A lack
of youth activities has been a concern for councillors, recreation staff and
RCMP for many years.
It's commonly thought that
a lack of youth activities leads to an increase in problems like youth-related
crime. Although the skate park won't solve all these problems, Adams said he
does believe any kind of organized activities for youth helps reduce negative
incidents involving young people.
And with this project well
under way, Adams said the next thing his department will look into is creating
a BMX trail, possibly out in Apex near the old metal dump.
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Nunavut 99
