What’s Good in Arnprior: What Would Sk8er Boi Say Now?

The Town of Arnprior is about a year away from having the skateboard park everybody’s dreamt about.

Engineering Officer Patrick Foley and Recreation Director Graeme Ivory appeared at Council Monday night to update elected representatives on “the plan”.

The Town’s initial skateboard park was constructed in 2002- the same year Avril Lavigne recorded “Sk8er Boi”.

Although updated in 2012, the existing park is reaching the end of its useful life cycle.

It’s modular design means the Town has gotten its money’s worth- and lessons continue to be learned on what to do better next time.

That’s Engineer Patrick Foley, expressing the opinion that a design-build tender would compress the time-frame required for completion and save money at the same time.

Recreation Director Graeme Ivory says the Town has committed to spending big bucks next year to actualize the new skateboard park.

A Trillium Grant is also being pursued to help make it possible.

Engineering Officer Foley suggested a couple of timely planning adjustments would bring the new skatepark to fruition.

The proposed new, larger skatepark would still be located on lands adjacent to the Nick Smith Centre; the vacant Town parkland to the west of the NSC entrance would become home to the new and improved skatepark.

By Rick Stow