Sackville town council has refused to pay for a feasibility study to look at options for a new concrete skatepark in Sackville.
Councillors Matt Estabrooks, Michael Tower, Bruce Phinney and Mayor Shawn Mesheau axed the proposal at council’s meeting Monday night.
The study would have cost $12,500, and was to be conducted by Newline Skateparks. Newline was to consult community members and develop a rough idea of design features and cost for permanent concrete skatepark at the current Dufferin Street location. Recreation director Matt Pryde told Tantramar Report that the study, if approved, could have been completed by Christmas.
The proposal originated in a community budget meeting request back in 2020, when resident Alex Thomas pitched improvements to the current skatepark, focusing on more entry level features for younger kids to develop their skills on skateboards, scooters, and bikes. Thomas told council at the time that a skateboard park, ”offers accessible recreation, regardless of income.”
“It’s really great for kids who might not have families who can drive them all over the place,” said Thomas, “or might not be able to work out the big bucks for some of the more expensive sports. It’s really awesome in that way. It’s just super inclusive.“
The decision against the skatepark study comes in the same year that Sackville town council approved $60,000 per year for at least two years to help subsidize certain sports through a fee rebate for youth. The fee rebate program also originated at the 2020 community budget meeting, when Sackville Minor Hockey and the Sackville Skating Club asked for additional subsidies to help offset rink fees at the Tantramar Civic Centre.
(Sackville Minor Hockey and the Sackville Skating Club received $8000 and $6000 in operational funding grants this year, and both rent space at the Tantramar Civic Centre, which is subsidized by the town by about $300,000 a year.)
Councillor Matt Estabrooks was the first to speak against approving the study on Monday, saying that it would be better to hold off until the town is prepared to follow through on the building of the project, which could be years out.
“It’s going to be a very expensive venture,” said Estabrooks, “probably in the $400 to $500,000 range. And we have a lot of expensive things on the books right now that I feel would take more priority.”
Estabrooks mentioned the Lorne Street stormwater project and a possible multipurpose building recently estimated to cost $3.4 million. He also mentioned sewage lagoon repairs which are being funded through the water utility capital budget. “Not to mention whatever the Chignecto Isthmus project might throw our way for funding that will be required,” said Estabrooks.
“My suggestion would be to put it on the shelf for planning, and three or four years out, tender the whole thing at once,” said Estabrooks.
Councillor Sabine Dietz voted in favour of the study, though said she did have reservations about going ahead with a large project at this time. Dietz said she was interested in the community consultation portion of the project, “to actually check if we need it, who needs it and what it would look like if we needed it.”
Councillor Bruce Phinney asked whether recreation director Matt Pryde had consulted Amherst about their popular skatepark, which was built about ten years ago for about $450,000. Pryde told council he had been in contact with the leads on the Moncton and Amherst parks to get their input. He also said that he didn’t expect the full cost of the park construction to be covered by the municipality, but intended to seek out funding in support of recreation infrastructure to help cover the costs.
This is the second time in as many years that plans for an improved, concrete skatepark have been curtailed. Back in 2020, Pryde had actually put in a capital funding request for the 2021 budget to set aside $150,000 per year for three years, in order put the town in a position to build a concrete park without borrowing. But senior town staff actually recommended against that plan, and removed the skatepark savings plan from the town’s budget proposal. Instead, the idea of spending some of council’s $65,000 contingency budget allotment was put forward, though all of that envelope was instead used for the sports fee rebate program.
Last night’s vote was three to three, with Councillors Andrew Black, Bill Evans and Sabine Dietz in favour, and Estabrooks, Phinney and Tower against. Both Ken Hicks and Allison Butcher were absent. The tie breaking vote was cast Mayor Shawn Mesheau, who looked a bit surprised to be put in the position.
Mesheau eventually voted no, but not before asking Matt Pryde if it would be possible to continue community consultations on the skatepark, “until we are in a position to put this forward in its entirety?”
Pryde suggested he and parks and facilities manager Todd Cole had been consulting local skateboarders about the possibilities at the park, but felt professionals could offer expertise that is not available with town staff. ”We could be told that a skatepark has several different requirements or needs here in Sackville, but we wouldn’t have a clue how to lay that out,” said Pryde. “And that’s where the professional company comes in.”
Mesheau ultimately agreed with Estabrooks assessment that the project was years out, and appeared to support a longer term plan, similar to what Pryde had proposed back in 2020. “I think at this point in time, we should put a kind of long term plan together on this and come up with a game plan as to when it will hit the capital projects,” said Mesheau.
