A survey asking residents where they would like to see a proposed skateboard park located came up at the May 10 St. Paul Education Regional Division school board meeting, as the board discussed the fact that Racette School has been tossed around as a potential location for the park.
“Any activity for youth is a good thing,” said Superintendent Glen Brodziak, noting skateboarders may sometimes get a negative rep that is unwarranted.
However, when the division asked insurance agents about having a skate park in a school site, it was told, “this is a no-fly zone,” he said. The board also had decided that having a skatepark at the school might serve as a distraction from its focus on education and learning.
“Really, Racette is not ideal,” he said, adding this is the message he gave back to skatepark organizers.
Given that, Brodziak said he was surprised to see a Town of St. Paul survey requesting people’s input on a site, which listed Racette School among the options, although with a caveat that the use of the land “would require School Board approval, which has not been requested at this time.”
“I’m not sure they should be offering up somebody else’s land,” he said, adding he has requested that the division be informed about the results of the survey before results are publicly released, particularly if Racette School was chosen as a preferred location.
SPERD board chair Heather Starosielski said she felt it was important that the division work together with the town, but reiterated, “A skate park, while a good venture, is not part of our mandate.”
Other location options listed on the survey include the RCMP Park, Lagasse Park, an overnight trailer park near the Ag Corral, and the area near the Iron Horse staging area.
“The survey is just a small part of the process of deciding what site this will go on,” said Lyle Hannan, Town of St. Paul parks and recreation director. Other factors include committee and public input, and if any issue made any of the locations impossible, that too would be considered when a site was finally chosen, he said.
“We’re a way from that,” he said, of a recommendation to be given to council.
The skate park survey can be found at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/skatepark. It will be online until May 19 at 2 p.m., and hardcopies of the survey are also available at the Town of St. Paul office.
