Careen, slash, hurtle, tumble, rise, carve or simply glide, there’s something for every skater at the Mount 7 Rec-Plex Park Block Skatepark.
The expanded skatepark is officially complete and the park is now open in time for the end of the school year.
An enthusiastic Jordan Petrovics, Town of Golden director of Recreation Services, says completion of the concrete work is a major milestone in the extensive Mount 7 Rec-Plex Block redevelopment project.
Over the last year Petrovics has been working with the Golden Skateboard Association to improve the skatepark that was originally built in 2004.
“The association secured over $500,000 in grants and donations to help fund the project very quickly in terms of going from design, securing funding and getting contractors,” Petrovics says, pointing out the feasibility study was completed in 2021, and was quickly followed by grant applications being made in early 2022 and concrete work starting in July. “It’s pretty amazing how much funding was gathered in terms of tight turnaround.”
One million dollars in funding came from the Whitetooth Legacy Fund and the Columbia Shuswap Regional District Golden and Area A Economic Opportunity Fund.
“It’s one of the most heavily used parks in Golden and designed to ensure we have a park with good learning progression, from beginner to expert riders,“ Petrovics says, noting the skatepark can accommodate toddlers just getting going to adults who are picking up or returning to the sport.
Golden residents have several other recreation opportunities at the Rec-Plex as well.
An outdoor boarded arena was constructed last year to provide a rink for shinny hockey in winter and a paved basketball court for the warmer months.
“The outdoor facility has been a desire for the community for many years and got great use last winter,” Petrovics adds.
A paved pump track that includes rolls, berms and corners was built in 2020 with funds raised by the Gentlemen’s Leisure Club of Golden.
Work will continue over the summer to landscape the area and build connecting pathways between the skatepark and pump track and between the bowl feature, beginner zone and sidewalks. Upgrades to the tennis courts, replacing the current format with two new tennis courts and construction of two new pickleball courts will begin this fall.
