Get your Ollies and flip-kicks ready, construction of a new skatepark and bicycle pump track-part of phase two of the McArthur Park Redevelopment project-is expected to begin June 1 and be completed by the first weekend of August.
According to Jihad Moghrabi, the communication manager for Lac La Biche County, the total area of the skateboard park and bike pump track is approximately 1,375 square metres – a space roughly the size of four basketball courts. He said once the skateboard park and bike pump track are open by the August long weekend, they will be accessible from the spray park area and McArthur Park.
The areas inside the Lac La Biche Recreation Grounds where dirt and clay stockpile mounds have been left over the winter months will be closed to the public until construction of the skate and bike park is finished.
During construction, people will continue to have access to other parts of the park, including the beach along Lac La Biche lake.
“The entire beach, the area around the large McArthur Place gazebo, the playground, and the spray park will remain open to the public at all times,” Moghrabi told Lakeland This Week.
Moghrabi continued by saying that construction will include some grading to create contours for both park areas, which will be followed by the installation of paved surfaces “to make the amenities durable and long-lasting.”
The skatepark and bicycle pump track are being constructed by the Manitoba-based firm Drop In Skate Parks, who Moghrabi says won the Request for Proposals (RFP) through a competitive process in fall, 2023.
At that time, Drop in Skateparks Inc. had already gone through a preliminary design phase, drafting up two designs for the County to choose from.
Moghrabi says the chosen design was a result of public engagement. As evidenced by the County’s recent sharing of the skate park and bike pump track renders on social media, he said, response from the community has been extremely positive.
“Some minor changes were made to the selected option to best address comments from public input and review of the design by County staff,” he said.
Regarding how the construction of a skatepark and pump track will be beneficial to the Lac La Biche area, Moghrabi said any form of recreation is great for the community, particularly those that come with no cost to participate.
“Skateboard parks and bike pump tracks are very popular across western Canada, and it is great to have the support of the public to build these in our community,” he stated.
