A dad wants to get things pumping at “one of the original” skate parks on the Sunshine Coast.
Chad Barakat has been pushing for an upgrade of the Wilkins Park skate park at Pacific Paradise.
“I live just a hop, skip and a jump away from it and my kids are loving getting involved in skating,” he said.
“We often go there and it’s just too small to have a skate or ride. It’s in desperate need of an upgrade.”
Sunshine Coast Council already has an eye on Wilkins Park, having set aside $15,000 for community engagement on future improvements there.
Skatermaps.com refers to Wilkins Park as “one of the original Sunny Coast parks” but Mr Barakat said it was showing its age and the surface had worn to the point where “it’s like skating on exposed aggregate – it’s not a smooth surface”.
He said the park was a “beautiful little spot” that could become a social hub with some attention.
He and others would like to see the park upgraded to a pump track, suitable for both skateboards and bikes, with suitable landscaping, as well as barbecues and rotundas.
A pump track is so named because momentum is generated by up and down movements, like pumping, rather than pushing or pedalling.
An online petition started by Mr Barakat for a park redesign has drawn more than 400 signatures from people supportive of a safe space promoting physical activity and creating stronger bonds in Pacific Paradise.
Mr Barakat said he understood the priorities and pressures but “Pacific Paradise has kind of really been left in the dark for a very long time”.
He was unaware that the council had allocated money towards community engagement on the park.
A council spokesperson thanked the community for sharing the council’s concerns regarding the Pacific Paradise skate park and bowl.
The spokesperson said the council regularly monitored all skate parks and play spaces, including the Pacific Paradise skate park and bowl, to ensure they were safe and enjoyable for everyone, and would continue to monitor the situation.
“While park upgrades are not currently scheduled or funded for construction at this location, Minor Capital Works funding of $15,000 will be invested in community engagement next year, to help inform design and project staging for improvements at Wilkins Park,” they said.
Mr Barakat said better facilities were need if the next generation of skateboarders wanted to emulate the Olympic gold medal performances of Keegan Palmer and Arisa Trew.
The spokesperson said the council would explore potential funding opportunities and the community would be kept informed of the opportunity to provide input.
A pump track is already on the cards for Forestwood Park, between Forestwood Drive and Wises Road, Buderim.
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