Photo courtesy of Bob Schneider

By Scott Roblin

Skate Spot

Construction set to begin on north Medicine Hat’s first skate spot

Sep 16, 2019 | 5:53 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Since Medicine Hat’s primary skate park was constructed in Kin Coulee Park seven years ago, the community’s appetite for the sport has only grown.

Skateboarders on the north side of the city however have never had a space that they could call their own.

That is until now.

The Medicine Hat Skateboard Association has announced its intentions to build a new integrated skate spot, the second of its kind in Medicine Hat.

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This project would come north of the South Saskatchewan River though, on a plot of land overlooking the downtown core on 8^th Street Northeast across from Monsignor McCoy High School and St. Francis Xavier School

Josh Swanson is the lead of the MHSA integrated skate spot projects and said it’s big news for their athletes on the northern side of the tracks.

“If there’s a kid that doesn’t drive or doesn’t have a parent that can get them there, it’s quite a hike to get down to Kin Coulee Skate Park, let alone the Southridge spot,” said Swanson. “So, having something where kids can just walk over there is really important.”

The skate spot would cover roughly 2,500 square feet and would include a number of transitional elements for skateboarders such as quarter-pipes, bowls, and ledges.

Photo courtesy of Medicine Hat Skateboard Association

The City of Medicine Hat has been involved in the design process and Jamie McLeod with the parks and recreation department said it’s encouraging to see the project move forward.

“We’ll be reviewing the final detailed design and then we’ll be working with all the players to make sure that it gets done to a certain standard and to the liking of the City,” said McLeod.

This comes almost a year after Medicine Hat’s first integrated skate spot opened in Saamis Rotary Park, providing a smaller but more accessible park for those in town.

While the Crescent Heights facility will take inspiration from the first skate spot, it will be much larger in its scope.

“I believe it’s about twice the size,” said Swanson. “But then, because there’s so much transitional stuff like ramps, bowl corners, quarter pipes and all that, concrete-wise like volume it’s going to be a lot bigger project than the first one.”

A number of groups are investing in the $125,000 project to get it off the ground including $20,000 donations from the City of Medicine Hat, provincial CFEP funding and Medicine Hat Kinsmen Club, along with a $15,000 design donation from Newline Skateparks.

A $20,000 gift of concrete work is also being donated by Capstone Concrete led by director Adam Coehoorn, who spent 15 years with the local skateboard community.

“I personally do have a heart for the skate kids and the skate community,” said Coehoorn. “A lot of them come from rougher backgrounds and rougher homes. So, it’s my opportunity to give back.”

As for the Kinsmen Club, they were the first organization to step up with funding for the skate spot with president Chris Baba saying this money will have a lasting impact in the community.

“This is one area where we can have a big impact and will have an impact for a lot of years,” said Baba. “I mean it’s a concrete structure in the ground, it’s going to last and we’re going to see benefit from it.”

There is a $25,000 shortfall for the project however, as MHSA has launched a GoFundMe page in the hopes of receiving some help from the public to make their dream a reality.

“We’ve had some private, personal donations come in,” said Swanson. “We’ve had some more in-kind donations come in. So, we’re getting closer and we have a few weeks left to kind of get us across the finish line. But, we’re confident that this is going to happen.”

Swanson is hoping to see construction on the skate spot begin on October 1 weather pending, with an opening tentatively set for the end of next month.

With two skate spots and a full skate park under their belts, MHSA isn’t calling it quits when it comes to establishing these new projects.

Last year, MHSA had hoped to construct one or two skate spots in the city per year over the next five years and it appears they’re right on schedule.

“It’s crazy to think that within two years we’ve gone from one skate park to three skate spots,” said Swanson. “And, that the City is willing and interested to work with us to continue to build those. So, it’s really exciting and looking into the future, I think that it’s only going to continue to grow.”