Members of the two Rotary clubs in Sechelt got a real eye opener when they decided to check on the condition of the Sechelt Skate Park recently.
“Kevin Davie (past president of the Rotary Club of the Sunshine Coast) and I saw all the kids, little guys and big guys, who use it,” said club member Bob Michor. “But the concrete was lifted, kids were skating and falling. It would just be gone if nobody did anything about it.”
Volunteers began clearing away the weeds and blackberry bushes that surrounded the park while others began removing crumbled concrete and re-grouting seams.
“There were several older guys who regularly skated at the park,” Michor said. “They all asked what we were doing and pitched in to help for several days.”
It was just the beginning of huge community support for the project: A local logging family anonymously donated some steel rails for a new ledge, Spani Developments sent out a crew to build a frame for them and Bill Stockwell of Central Coast Concrete sent a truck and crew to pour the cement for the ledge.
Meanwhile, Rent-It Canada donated concrete cutting and power washing equipment while Gibsons Building Supply general manager Dayton Point, who grew up skating at the park, donated bags of material to seal cracks.
“These people helped because I wore the Rotary hat,” Michor said.
The skate park, built by the Sechelt Rotary Club in the 1990s, is definitely a treasure worth saving.
“I’ve been skateboarding for 35 years and have been skateboarding all over North America and have seen my fair share of rugged historical skateparks. I would have to say that the one in Sechelt is by far the most unique park with the most character,” said professional skateboarder Joe Buffalo, after trying out the park for the first time last month.
William Joe, a heavy-equipment operator at Lehigh Materials, has been skating at the park for 24 years.
“I love that all these people who don’t know boarding are coming together to help. It means a lot to me.
“Skateboarding has kept me out of a lot of trouble. Now it’s nice to see young kids looking up to me. I can be a positive influence in their lives.”
Another local business, Cloverdale Paint, stepped up to help with the final touches on the skate park, donating supplies for the mural artists who are working on the newly power-washed walls.
Emily Gray, an art teacher doing her practicum at Chatelech High School, has been taking students to the park to bring their designs to life for the past couple of weeks. Check out her website, www.emilygray.ca, to see work she’s done on murals around the world.
“It can be scary putting your creativity on display. But the students are doing great work,” Gray said.
Plans for a grand reopening will be announced shortly.
David Connors is PR director for the Rotary Club of the Sunshine Coast
