Big skateboard ramps out for Waimairi

Press, 6 September 1989, Page 9

Big skateboard ramps out for Waimairi

By

SUZANNE KEEN

No big skateboard ramps will be built in Waimairi, in spite of comments by several Waimairi councillors that the pastime should be encouraged among young people.

The council’s director of parks, Mr Graeme Nind, said a large, permanent structure consisting of two curved preformed ends with a connecting concrete base woould cost about $17,000. He recommended that in view of the number of ramps being built in the larger city area no such large ramp be built in Waimairi. Mr Nind said skateboarding was typical of fad sports that came and went. Younger skateboarders in Waimairi were catered for with a mobile set of ramps installed at Bishopdale Park and two similar sets would be erected in Parklands.

Cr Gordon Freeman said such ramps were not popular with young people, who preferred the larger permanent structures. He expressed concern that staff had not done sufficient investigation.

“The fact is that skateboarding is once again fashionable. You have to encourage it in the community because it stops young people stealing money from milk bottles and it helps prevent them becoming involved in drugs.”

Cr Freeman said 3 per cent of Papanui High School pupils skateboarded to school. There were probably 5000 to 10,000 skateboarders in the northern area and there were not enough facilities for them.

Cr Des King agreed, saying that the nearest large ramp was at Hagley High School.

Mr Nind said the mobile ramp at Bishopdale Park was well used. He did not see any need for larger structures in Waimairi.

His recommendation was passed by the council’s works, reserves and traffic committee.

It was agreed that further investigations be made into the possibility of providing more mobile ramps. Clare Park

A long-term thorn in the side of the Waimairi District Council will end up on the agenda of the new Christchurch City Council. Waimairi councillors have been debating the issue of the Windsor Pony Club’s access to the Clare Park extension for more than 18 months and have not yet agreed on a solution.

Options that have suited the club have sometimes caused concern to nearby residents while other suggestions have proved too expensive or dangerous.

The council’s works, reserves and traffic committee agreed to give the club a three-year extension of its lease for the part of Clare Park it occupied. It recommended that it be allowed to continue using the existing Burwood Road entrance for a further six months pending consideration by the new community board and the city council. The question of a permanent entrance to Clare Park and car-parking will also be referred. Several councillors said they believed an entrance off Mairehau Road was still a viable option.