ST. PAUL - It was likely the community's largest public event since the COVID-19 pandemic began as people gathered at the newly built BMX and skate park in St. Paul for the official grand opening and ribbon cutting event, Sept. 19.
Music played loudly as people of all ages on BMX bikes, skateboards and scooters enjoyed the park. Dan Reid, along with a number of family members, was on hand to speak to the crowd, give thanks to the community for support, and remind people about the reason behind the park - mental health.
The Reid family took on the project as a way to remember their brother, Michael, who had an interest in BMX before his passing.
Dan gave an emotional speech during the grand opening event on Saturday, speaking about his brother who was affectionately known as Bear. He acknowledged the support from the community in fundraising for the park, which took a number of years, but includes a very long list.
The St. Paul skate park is unique in that 80 per cent of the funds have been raised through grassroots initiatives, while 20 per cent has been municipal support. Most parks are built with the majority coming from municipal and government funds, rather than the community.
"This is the opposite of every other park," said Dan.
Town of St. Paul Coun. Ron Boisvert offered congratulations to those involved in seeing the construction of the park complete. As fundraising efforts continue to take place, this spring the Town of St. Paul approved a loan to the skate park society to help cover the remaining costs of construction, to be paid back by the society.
Boisvert also offered special recognition to Dan, saying that while there were many people involved in the skate park initiative, "it takes leader" to complete a project of this size. He noted the town is proud to be part of the project.
MLA David Hanson was also in attendance on Saturday, simply stating the park was a great community effort, and he encouraged youth to remember to wear their helmets while using the park. The County of St. Paul was also in attendance to celebrate the opening, along with a number of sponsors.
Everett Tetz, business development manager/community outreach specialist with New Line Skateparks spoke to the crowd also. He explained that while the company has helped design and build 400 parks, there are a few that stand out - and St. Paul is one of them, and it's because of the story behind the park.
"(You) took tragedy and heartbreak and turned it into something positive," said Tetz. "This community just got better because of this space."
He encouraged the youth to be mindful and respect the part because while it may be hard to imagine, the park isn't just for them, but for their future children, and generations to come.
"Take care of this space."
