By Sheldon Spackman

Community Building

Sylvan Lake taking community building approach to improving culture at skate park

Jul 26, 2019 | 3:15 PM

Continued steps are being taken to further improve the overall culture at Sylvan Lake’s skate park.

That according to Joanne Gaudet, communications officer with the Town of Sylvan Lake who says it’s a process that began last year to address concerns that were brought forward.

“A few months ago we had a previous public engagement session where we asked users of the skate park, parents, friends and anyone associated with users, to provide some feedback on how we could create a better experience for everyone, a safer experience, an enjoyable experience, a safe space,” she explains.

“From that feedback, we identified that rather than making a whole bunch of new rules about maybe when certain types of users could use the facility or maybe having staff supervise the facility,” she continues. “We decided to undergo this community building initiative and just focus on maybe programming more activities there, having more events and bringing the community together and getting to know one another better.”

Gaudet notes that a free BBQ hosted at the skate park in June was the first step in their community building directive.

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“We had pros on site doing skate demos specifically on park etiquette, we had some free giveaways, and the event was very well attended, I think it was a lot of fun for everyone,” she exclaims. “However, what council learned was not only the results of that June BBQ, but also our plans moving forward. Again, putting a focus on programs at the skate park for everyone from skateboard users, inline skaters, BMX bikers and scooters and planning events moving forward to kind of bring everyone together.”

Gaudet says concerns brought forward came from users, parents of users and the guardians of users.

“There was maybe a lack of that ‘community’ there,” says Gaudet. “What we wanted to do was just reinforce the users to be mindful of others, be respectful of the various skillsets that everyone had and create a safer space that everyone felt confident that we were providing an enjoyable experience for everyone.”

Plans for more programming and community events at the skate park moving forward is a direction Gaudet describes as a collaborative one between the Town’s youth services, rec and culture and parks department.

“Let’s try this educational process and this opportunity to meet everybody and get to know one another and almost build a bit of a team mindset before we go and consider our other options if problems persist,” adds Gaudet. “Next steps, we’ll have our community guide coming out the first week here in August and residents will see some of these programmed activities at the skate park for users there. Also, I imagine this type of event we had in June will become an annual one.”

A ‘Season in Review’ report regarding Sylvan Lake’s skate park engagement results is expected to come before council in September.