Skatepark Redevelopment
Skate Park Grand Opening
Thursday, May 16, 2024 - 4pm to 8pm - 250 Pine Ave
Live music, food trucks, demonstrations by semi-pro skaters, drop-in skate sessions, prize draws and free swag!
Project Background
The City was successful in securing $1.28m in Federal and Provincial grant funding from the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program to develop an integrated, modern site-built concrete skateboard/all-wheel park to redevelop the current outdated and deteriorating skate park.
The facility will be open to the public, free of charge, and cater to all skill levels and riding styles of users. The City also envisions the all-wheel park as part of an "outdoor hub" facility for locals and visitors alike to gather, connect, and further explore the community.
The City plans to include additional amenities like accessible, safe and inviting viewing areas, strong connections to the adjacent trail systems, and environmentally sustainable design elements. The park's design will also consider accommodating programming initiatives, community events, and competitions as a way to further enhance inclusion and support opportunities for community recreation and health.
The total value of the project is $1.42m with additional community-hub elements to be designed and budgeted through the process.
Existing Skatepark
The existing City of Fernie skatepark is now over 20 years old and has reached the end of its lifecycle, with a number of identified maintenance issues and safety concerns, paired with outdated terrain that no longer meets contemporary design and construction standards. To better fulfill the needs of the growing action sports community, the City will be reconstructing the park to provide site-appropriate modern concrete all-wheel park terrain within the context of an inviting public space welcoming to all citizens.
The Process
New Line Skateparks is leading the design and construction of this project. Their team hosted a series of three workshops to help determine the design before construction kicked off in spring 2023.
In preparing the grant application in 2020 the City of Fernie conducted a public survey to gauge community support for the redevelopment of the City's existing skateboard park, with 320 citizens reviewing the grant application and project information, and 166 completing an online survey showing 92.2% of respondents in favour of a skatepark redevelopment, and 93.4% also supporting expanding the project as part of an outdoor recreation facility hub.
The first workshop for the redevelopment project was held in June 2022, and participants had an opportunity to offer their feedback on what types of features the next park should feature using an in-person feedback form, a online survey was also available on this page. You can read an overview of the feedback in the summary document. The second workshop in November 2022 presented to preliminary concept designs and allowed participants to submit feedback on their preferred option. You can review the feedback in the summary document.
The third and final workshop was held on Thursday, February 23rd to present the final concept design based on the first two rounds of workshops and survey feedback from the community. This feedback helped designers determine the overall style and distribution of terrain in the skatepark.
Construction got underway in May 2023. Check out the final rendering and check back here for updates during construction.
