The community of Lawrencetown Beach is working towards a professionally designed and built skatepark. It will be a place to accommodate a large demographic, including the local community, beach visitors, skateboarders, surfers, young and old.
This initiative has received tremendous support from the local residents as well as garnered significant interest outside of our geographical community. At the time of writing, our social media followers (@lawrencetownskatepark) have already quadrupled our relatively small population. In short, there’s huge support for this project pouring in from all over – so let’s make it happen!
The design will cater to a range of abilities and sports, including skateboarding, BMX, scootering, and inline skating. The development of the park will eventually be executed by HRM and a third-party contractor while the creativity and design will remain with anyone who follows the project. The park will likely feature a mix of "street" and "transition" features, which will attract and appease different styles of users.
Vision
To start, skateboarding requires very little financial commitment, and it's a sport that generally attracts people that don't feel drawn to team-based sports. It's a positive influence on people's lives, especially those who may otherwise have little interest in an active, healthy lifestyle. Skateboarding builds camaraderie, resilience, and a willingness to pursue a genuine challenge – all lifelong skills.
Skateboarding is a growing and inclusive activity that attracts people of all ages, skin colours, genders, and economic and social backgrounds.
We hope to provide a premium park that draws skaters province-wide while providing yet another activity for days that don’t produce wind or world-class waves for surfing and kiting.
Location
A number of locations are being evaluated and considered by HRM and LSPA. Considerations related to the location include proximity to other amenities, such as Atlanticview Elementary and Lawrencetown Grocery. Visibility, accessibility, and protection from wind are also important features to acknowledge, as is the importance of the location fitting harmoniously with the beautiful natural surroundings.
TimeLine
From other successful skatepark builds in Nova Scotia, we've seen that fundraising is the first and most important element in securing a successful project. Once a sufficient amount of funding is secured, the municipality (in our case HRM) sees the seriousness of the association and community, ultimately reevaluating and formally committing to taking on the project.
Using these same examples of previous skatepark builds, if a skatepark association can raise approximately 1/3 of the project's total cost, the municipality and province will contribute the other 2/3.
Financial need
Fundraising has already begun and a significant amount has already been raised through auctions as well as personal and small business donations, plus 2 large corporations are currently discussing substantial pledges.
