Whitehorse skate park closing for 6 months for $3.5M replacement job
Second Haven Skate Park is more than 20 years old with many safety hazards
Whitehorse's only public skate park will close for about half a year starting next week so it can be replaced.
"We're pretty stoked, actually. We've been wanting a new park for a long, long time," said Shawn Pierce, vice-president of Skate for Life Alliance, an advocacy group.
Second Haven Skate Park, located in the Riverdale neighbourhood, is more than 20 years old. Skaters have pointed to crumbling masonry, metal bolts sticking out of the pavement and other safety hazards that need to be dealt with.
The total budget to replace the park is $3.5 million, according to a press release from the Yukon government. The federal government is covering $2.6 million, and the territorial government will cover the rest.
Pierce is looking forward to "some actual bowls — like real bowls and pools — well-made things that aren't crumbling and tripping us," he said with a chuckle.
"We got pretty much everything and more in it."
Wheelchair accessible, inclusive park
Castle Rock Enterprises is handling construction duties for the park, and the design — which includes a lot of new amenities — was produced by Stantec.
"The new park will be wheelchair accessible and inclusive for skateboards, bikes, scooters, wheelchairs and spectators," read the press release.
While it's what skaters have asked for, construction at the site means six months without a dedicated park to skate in.
"It'll be weird," Pierce said, "but we'll just keep skating all summer anyway."
Pierce says some people have ramps in backyards. There are also skate parks in Mount Lorne and in Carcross, though Yukon's chief medical officer of health has recommended against any non-essential travel to Yukon communities.
The Yukon government currently owns and operates the park. The Whitehorse government will take those reigns once the park is complete.