It's amazing what appears right under your nose when you don't follow skateboarding closely. I spent more than a decade working as a creative director in the skateboard industry until this Vancouver Is Awesome project stole me away, and it was a pleasant (pun intended) surprise when I drove past where the old community centre was around Main and 16th in Mt Pleasant this weekend and realized that the new skatepark was almost finished! I soon called upon V.I.A. friend, park board commissioner Sarah Blyth, and asked her what the deal was, but not before snapping this photo below of a couple kids skating it prior to the official opening.
Identities blurred to protect the innocent!
Sarah told me that "As with all of our skateparks there is a lot of excitement and anticipation for young folks regarding the opening of the Mt Pleasant Skatepark. It's amazing to see youth successful in political process and that young people get what they need in our parks.".
She also told me that they've got some work to do yet around it before they can open it, including clean up, landscaping, and grading. And though it may have been a surprise to me (I noticed it on the plan for the park - which is very close to my home - months ago but didn't know the timeline) the Vancouver Skatepark Coalition has been working with the Vancouver Park Board for a while now to ensure the skatepark is a success, just like all of the other 7 neighbourhood skateparks in Vancouver.
The skatepark (technically they're calling it a "skatespot") is a small part of the overall design of the new park and they're hoping to open the South portion of it which also includes a playground and some garden pathways over the next few weeks. It's not officially open yet but take a look at the above photo and prepare yourself for the awesomeness that's opening soon in a neighbourhood that is home to a great deal of Vancouver's skateboarder population!
