The Rocky Skate Park committee went in front of town council on Monday to request they add the Skate Park to the Town’s budget for some much needed repairs and an expansion.

Sarah Fotty, member of the Rocky Skate Park Committee describes the skate park as an outdoor space that allows residents the use of the facility to practice active sports such as skateboarding, biking, scootering and even for the rollerbladers in town.

One of the main concerns for the Skate Park Committee is where the concrete meets the gravel.

“When the kids come out the quarter pipe and there’s nowhere for them to land at, they come up and hit the gravel and have a wreck just about every time,” shares committee member Jeremy Vollick. “The way the skate park is designed it all flows into one area and that eventually becomes a bit of a hazard.”

Vollick thinks the town has actually outgrown the skate park and that it needs to be expanded. He believes the smaller kids and kids new to skateboarding, should have their own area in the skate park, this way the bigger and more experienced kids don’t run into each other and cause an accident.

Fotty, meantime, recalls just last week a skater dislocated his collar bone because of the way the transition is from the concrete to the gravel. Vollick, however, said this part of the skate park does not need to be expanded, rather he just wants to see the gravel area filled in with concrete.

Also at the skate park is a Skate-n-Learn program every Tuesday from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. which can see upwards of 40 kids, noted Fotty.

“Our skate park is actually a tourism attraction. We’ve actually held two competitions, this year and last year. Last year we had close to 300 people that came from all over Alberta to either participate or just to watch,” said Fotty.

She says she would like to see more competitions held at the skate park, but because of the current state the park is in, they are unable to hold more competitions.

Town officials say the skate park as of now, does not have an estimated cost for the repairs.

“Obviously our facilities get old and need repairs. I definitely think it’s something we should look at. The cost of it and see what we can put in the capital budget and if there’s room in the capital budget,” said Councillor Len Phillips.

At the end of discussion Councillor Phillips put a motion forward to bring the costing of concrete work at the skate park to the 2023 capital budget process. The motion was unanimously carried by council.