After hearing a presentation from skate park committee chair Rob Tovey on Monday night, town council now will be looking at which site would be most appropriate for such a facility.
While a proposal for a skate park has come before council before, Tovey noted this is not the concrete bowl design it had seen previously, which most recent estimates place at costing up to $500,000.
“We’ve modified the original plan, primarily to reduce the cost and have them more in line what we really want to spend on a park,” said Tovey. “A modular park gives us control over what we spend.
“Now, we only have to spend what we have.”
First outlined in last week’s Times, this new design—a permanent modular park that would feature a variety of ramps, stairs, rails, half-pipes, and above-ground concrete bowls—would cost about $295,000.
Tovey noted the committee has raised about $120,000 so far, and hopes to resume fundraising as soon as possible—with the aim to get enough money to build a skate park this summer.
If this total can’t be achieved, a scaled-down version of a park will be constructed this summer, with a second phase to follow next year, he said.
Tovey added he was looking for council’s blessing at this point in time, as well as a confirmation on which site it would like to see the park built on.
In his mind, Tovey said, there were three possible sites before them: behind the Memorial Sports Centre, to the east of the sports centre where the tennis courts currently sit, and a lot at the corner of Nelson Street and Butler Avenue.
But Tovey stressed he felt the site of the tennis courts probably was the best bet, since it not only is a central location which ties into the sports centre, but the tennis courts currently are in “rough shape.”
If they had to be rebuilt, they could be done so elsewhere (perhaps in the west end of town near the high school).
“The kids, I don’t think they care where they skateboard. But it may matter to the council—the Town of Fort Frances owns this park,” Tovey remarked.
“Whichever location you choose, we’re going to be happy with.”
After giving Tovey some positive comments about the revised skate park plans, council approved the revised proposal.
It then was forwarded to the Community Services executive committee, with input from other committees, with the intention to determine the best site for the proposed skate park.
Their findings will be brought back before council at a future meeting.
Also at Monday night’s meeting, council:
•held a special meeting regarding the need to revise the town’s official plan but no one showed up with any requests in favour of doing so;
•approved a request from the Canadian Red Cross Society to proclaim March as “Red Cross Month” in the Town of Fort Frances;
•referred a letter of request from the local Business Improvement Association regarding parking on the 200 block of First Street East to the Planning and Development executive committee for a recommendation;
•referred a letter of request from Bill Morrison regarding traffic concerns at the corner of the 1200 block of Colonization Road West to the Planning and Development and Operations and Facilities executive committees for a recommendation, with input from the Traffic Safety Committee;
•referred a request for financial assistance for this April’s performing arts festival from the Rainy River District Music Festival Association to the Administration and Finance executive committee for a recommendation; and
•refused to support a resolution from the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority regarding the elimination of in-kind newspaper advertisements from the Canadian Community Newspapers Association and the Ontario Community Newspapers Association in lieu of the CCNA/OCNA making their payments in cash.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
