Rendering of a new skateboard park planned at Gabriola Island's Huxley Community Park. All three levels of government and locally sourced seed money will help build the facility and other upgrades at the park (RDN)

By Ian Holmes

Significant investment

‘It’s a great day:’ government grant approved to fund Gabriola Island skateboard park

Jul 3, 2020 | 1:16 PM

GABRIOLA ISLAND — A substantial grant will help build a skateboard park and complete other amenities at Gabriola Island’s Huxley Community Park.

A combined $567,000 in federal, provincial government funds announced Friday, July 3, allows a skateboard park to be built at the well-used North Rd. park.

Gabriola Skatepark Fundraising Association treasurer Derek Kilbourn said the new skateboard facility will reinforce the value of Huxley Community Park, located in the centre of Gabriola’s village core.

“It’s where we all gather as an island community already and having this be there, it’s just one more thing that we have available to people in the heart of the island,” Kilbourn told NanaimoNewsNOW.

He said a new gravel parking lot, bus stop, trail through the park, fencing and bleachers for the multi-use sports court round out other improvements from the newly announced funding.

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In a statement from the RDN to NanaimoNewsNOW, construction of the skateboard park is expected to start in the spring of 2021 and be complete in the fall of 2021.

Kilbourn said $72,000 in seed money was raised locally toward the project in order to be eligible to access a senior government infrastructure fund.

He said waiting for the past year on the results of a grant application submitted by the RDN was a powerless and at times frustrating process.

“To have raised that seed money in under a year from this community and telling everybody that ‘We know we did our part we’re just waiting’ to now get this announcement is just amazing,” Kilbourn said.

The RDN contributed $134,000 toward the project.

Phase one upgrades at Huxley Community Park completed in 2018 featured a new multi-use sports, children’s playground and resurfaced tennis court.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes