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WATCH: Sidney’s new skateboard park draws many during opening weekend

Hundreds of people, young and old, rolled into Sidney’s new skateboard park over the weekend, as the municipality opened it to public use.
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Kyle, 11, from left, Moody, 11, and Ryan, 11, all from Sidney contemplate their next moves in the Town’s new skate park on Sunday. The park opened to the public over the weekend and saw a lot of use. (Steven Heywood/News staff)

Hundreds of people, young and old, rolled into Sidney’s new skateboard park over the weekend, as the municipality opened it to public use.

With only the landscaping to be completed, the new park saw skateboarders and scooter riders try out the new forms, jumps and platforms. Tim Tanton, the Town of Sidney’s Director of Engineering and Public Works, told the News Review before the weekend that it was a soft opening, to get park users used to the new facility. An official opening event is scheduled for the Canada Day weekend. Signs up at the park asked users to respect the unfinished landscaping area and not damage it, and the users appeared to be honouring that when the News Review dropped in on Sunday.

Nathan, from Sidney, who was back on his skateboard after about four years off, said he really likes the new park and its smooth surface. That was echoed by Victoria’s Nathan Cherriere, who was at the park early “to avoid the crowds.”

“This is great,” he said. “Much better than the old park.”

Sidney’s other skate park is dated and is slated to be demolished this month, as the Town prepares that site next to the Pat Bay Highway for their new community safety building and a large parking lot south of the Mary Winspear Centre.

The new park, built by NewLine Skateparks out of Langley, cost around $300,000 and is located in Sidney’s Tulista Park, along Lochside Drive.

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Victoria’s Nathan Cherriere performs a few tricks while trying out Sidney’s new skate park on Sunday. (Steven Heywood/News staff)