Support cemented for Lorette skate park

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This article was published 17/04/2017 (2564 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A fruitful fundraising campaign has resulted in an expanded vision for the committee behind Lorette’s proposed skate park.

Yann Boissonneault, the committee’s president, said fundraising efforts quickly yielded over half the financing required.

The project’s initial budget was in the range of $120,000 to $150,000 range, Boissonneault explained that $100,000 quickly poured in.

“So we looked at making the park better,” he said.

After consulting user groups, designers drafted a revised plan for a 4,000-sq-ft. skate park—up from 3,200 sq-ft in January. The new design features a larger bowl and option of adding a BMX track around the perimeter of the park.

“I think that’s the plan that’s going to be approved,” Boissonneault said. The project’s new ceiling is $200,000, he added.

“At this point, we’re just working on getting the remaining funds from certain grants and local businesses,” he said.

The project has already collected an initial $25,000 from the RM of Tache, $20,000 from the Lorette LUD, and $10,000 each from Lorette’s CDC, Family Fun Group, and Thrifty Treasures. Boissonneault said additional money from the RM is a further possibility.

As Tache’s recreation master plan evolved over the winter, the location of the skate park moved from the northwest to the northeast corner of the CCLCC property. The slight change in location was meant to ensure the skate park “does not affect parking, regardless of when the multiplex is built,” Boissonneault explained.

The project’s timeline remains essentially unchanged.

“If everything goes according to plan, shovels hit the ground in July,” he said.

An unofficial opening is planned for late August with a grand opening featuring professional skateboarders expected over the Labour Day weekend, coinciding with Lorette Family Fun Days.