A a years-long effort to bring a permanent skate park to the Elora Arena green space will face its final hurdle at township council next week.
On Monday, Centre Wellington township council will consider a staff recommendation to commit $430,000 in funding to the Elora Community Centre Skateboard Area project and to select a builder for it.
The project has been a long time coming, said Centre Wellington Skatepark Association organizer Staci Barron.
“It’s been about five years that we have been working on this project,” said Barron.
The project was inspired by youth that Barron witnessed trying to skateboard during the winter a few years ago.
“They were running a generator with lights and they had shovels and they were dumping snow on the picnic table and skateboarding down it,” said Barron. “Those kids inspired me to do something more with that space.”
If approved Monday, the grand opening of the new skate park is anticipated for August of 2019. The final design concept will be presented to council in May.
Township staff is recommending that New Line Skateparks Inc.’s bid for the project is accepted. The company has been involved in over 270 skate park projects in Canada, the U.S. and Europe over the last 17 years.
Earlier this year, council approved an allocation of $203,296 from the McDonald Trust Funds toward the design and construction of the skate park.
The MacDonald Trust Funds was established in 2016 when the township received a $4.436 million gift from Jack R. MacDonald, to be used toward the long term positive impact in Elora.
“If it wasn’t for the MacDonald Fund, we would still be fundraising trying to get this going,” said Barron.
An additional $62,092 has been received by way of donations to the foundation. The township will kick in $157,500 from its development charges, with the final $7,112 coming from township reserves.
Billell said those donations came from single mothers, grandparents, and businesses big and small.
The total budget for the project is $430,000, with $363,000 of that total designated as available funds. HST, landscaping, survey and internal costs will be classified under ancillary funds, which make up $67,000 of the total.
Barron hopes the skate park will spawn new businesses in Elora, from a possible skate shop to more opportunities for youth to teach skateboarding to each other.
“We need to do more to create zero-fee activities for the youth in Elora besides jumping off the Bissel Park Bridge,” she said.