It may not have been the world’s only Skate Park you couldn’t reach on your board, but that fond statement is about to become a thing of the past in Arnprior.
Originally constructed before the invention of the wheel in 2002, the modular park is well past its shelf life.
Despite a modest upgrade in 2012 the Town’s existing park had become sadly out-of-date, when a community group took the idea of a new park under its wing- just as COVID hit town in 2020.
Luke Sheldrick was among the early lobbyists.
In 2026 it looks like this is the year things will come to fruition- as a presentation with final design was shared by Recreation Staff with Arnprior Council at its meeting of February 9th.
We’ll look at how we got to this moment, and what will come next, over two days, beginning with the history lesson.
Sheldrick says current Recreation Director Graeme Ivory helped him connect the dots with other skate park advocates.
While group members are not of the ilk that covet individual recognition, Luke gives them a shout out anyway.
He says over the six years of concept advocacy, members haven’t been shy to roll up their sleeves.
The Board has turned its individual skill sets into fundraising activity for the new skate park.
The community initiative has led to members raising 17.5 thousand for the new park.
Council’s motion will require the Arnprior Skateboard Association to kick in a total of 25k to realize the 275,000 dollar objective.
We’ll continue the discussion tomorrow!
By Rick Stow
