Skate park official groundbreaking held

Dax Guest-Ross and Mayor Keith Fielding (holding shovels) officially broke ground for the Peachland Skateboard Park Tuesday afternoon in Lambly Park. They were joined for the ceremony by (left to right) Councillors Peter Schierbeck, Eldon Kerbes, Vern Moberg, Cindy Fortin and Terry Condon. (Dave Preston photo)

by Dave Preston

It might have been an after-the-fact ceremony Tuesday but a groundbreaking in Lambly Park marked the end of the dream and the beginning of reality for a skateboard park in Peachland.

The small ceremony, held at 3 p.m., came hours after an excavator began removing sod and topsoil next to the Peachland tennis courts in preparation for the new Peachland Skateboard Park.

Youth have been asked numerous times over the years what they would like to see in town, according to Mayor Keith Fielding.

“A skate park always seems to be on top of the list,” he said.

The dream of a skate park in Peachland goes back at least nine years when the Peachland Wellness Centre conducted a survey of youth in town.

Fielding said the skate park, which is being built by Vancouver based Newline Skateparks, should be completed by December. An official opening is slated for some time next March.

One large tree next to Hwy. 97 was removed to make way for the skate park. The tree’s roots extended well into the park and it was removed to allow for a walkway that will take people from the park to the controlled crosswalk to Clements Crescent.

Town staff said another tree on the opposite side of the tennis courts also had to be removed, but not because of the skate park. That tree was damaged.

Fielding acknowledged Tuesday a major contribution by the Ponderosa development that led to skate park construction.

“It was because of their community amenity contributions to Peachland that we were able to fund this,” said Fielding.

Dax Guest-Ross, 14, was invited to the ground breaking ceremony. He was part of a team of youth that helped with the skate park design.

“I’m really glad that I was involved with this,” said Guest-Ross, adding that one of his ideas was incorporated in the design.