Machines will be getting to work on Sidney's new skateboard park on Monday, Feb. 6.
Due to a contractor being available to work a week earlier than expected, the Town of Sidney announced this week that the gravel piles on the site in Tulista Park will be moved. Tim Tanton, the Town's Director of Development Services, Engineering and Public Works, says the material will be moved from the site to a space north of the current public works yard near the Pat Bay Highway. That material will be used, Tanton said, to expand the works yard storage area by about 30 per cent.
The gravel was placed on the skate park site last fall to compress the soil beneath, making it ready for the concrete construction. Tanton said the gravel has done its job and a geotechnical engineer has signed off on the site, meaning it's ready for the new recreational facility.
Some of the gravel will be left behind to allow builders, New Line Skateparks, to create forms and shapes of the skate park. Crews will also be installing pipes in the ground to enable storm water drainage.
"Workers arrive Monday," Tanton said, adding people can expect to see a temporary access road built into the area during construction.
He said the Town is not anticipating any impact on traffic along Lochside Drive as a result. The site will be fenced off, however, for public safety concerns during the construction.
The new skate park, which replaces an existing one next to the Pat Bay Highway, has a 2017 budget of approximately $472,000. The project is to be paid for out of the Town's reserve funds.
The old skate park will be removed to make way for two other Town projects, mainly a proposed parking lot, as well as the proposed community safety building.
Tanton said the new skate park is expected to open in time for Sidney Days — July 1, 2017. He expects there will be a soft opening prior to that, to allow local skateboarders to test it out.
In the meantime, the Town is still seeking community and business donations to help pay for any extra features they wish to add to the new skate park. Tanton said Coast Capital Savings has already made a donation of $5,000. To donate, contact the Town of Sidney.