A skateboard park will be constructed on the northeast corner of the Summerland Secondary School property now that the Okanagan Skaha School District has given its approval to the project.
The park is the result of a cooperative effort between the school district, the municipality and the Summerland Charity Shop Society — Penny Lane.
The park concept was presented to the school district by the charity shop’s board of directors last month.
Linda Van Alphen, one of Summerland’s two school trustees, said the board gave unanimous approval to the site.
The portion of school property set aside for the skateboard park has not been used as a playing field in the past, she added.
The society has pledged $275,000 for the work, but members of council hope to attract other partners to the project.
Summerland has a skateboard park in place behind the Harold Simpson Memorial Youth Centre and near the Summerland Arena.
This park, created in the mid-1990s, is dated, has a poor location and is dangerous, members of council say. The new location, at the corner of Jubilee Road East and Rosedale Avenue, is a highly visible location.
Now that the site has been approved, the municipality will put out a request for proposals to find a designer for the skateboard park.
Bruce Hallquist, a member of municipal council and a member of the charity shop’s board of directors, expects to see the park completed within a year.
Mayor Janice Perrino said the new location will help to show Summerland as a community with amenities for children and youth. “This is something that will generate activity,” she said.
Details of the new park, including the size and design, are not yet known.