The municipality of La Pocatière recently inaugurated its renovated skatepark, an initiative supported by Mr. Vincent Bérubé, mayor of La Pocatière, Mr. Mathieu Rivest, deputy for Côte-du-Sud, and Ms. Noémie Guay, representative of the citizens’ committee. This event marks a significant step towards improving the city’s leisure infrastructure, aiming to provide a secure and attractive space for board sports enthusiasts.
The old skatepark required a major renovation to meet current safety standards and improve its general appeal. According to Mr. Bérubé, “as a central city, the primary objective was to provide quality, safe and current infrastructure for skateboarding, scootering and inline skating for our community and surrounding municipalities.” The project was motivated by issues of surface wear, increasing the risk of falls and injuries, and by the aging of the modules.
The revitalization project was initiated by a citizens’ committee made up of members aged 14 to 38, in collaboration with the organizations Projektion 16-35 and the Carrefour des jeunesse de La Pocatière. Ms. Noémie Guay, member of the committee, expressed her satisfaction by declaring: “It is very gratifying to have managed to obtain such a great result by joining forces. “It’s a great example of citizen involvement, of people of all ages and particularly young people, with the City to shape infrastructure in our image and inspire the future generation to take a stand for what is important to them.”
The park’s design included environmental considerations, such as removing gravel and adding rockeries and green walls for a more natural boundary. The new smooth concrete surface, which is less abrasive than asphalt, is designed to reduce injuries. Contemporary, multi-purpose cement modules were also installed.
This project, with a total cost of $213,870, was funded in part by government support of $107,816 from the Ministry of Education, as part of the Small-Scale Sports and Recreation Infrastructure Support Program (PSISRPE). The City of La Pocatière completed the funding with an investment of $106,054, intended in particular for the planting and development of the site with street furniture.
The Minister responsible for Sports, Recreation and Outdoor Activities, Ms. Isabelle Charest, expressed her joy for the youth of La Pocatière: “Access to quality, safe and up-to-date infrastructure is essential to encourage the practice of physical and sporting activities. I am therefore very happy for the youth of La Pocatière, who will be able to indulge in their favourite sports in new facilities.”
Côte-du-Sud MP Mathieu Rivest added: “The residents of the City of La Pocatière, especially young people, deserve quality facilities to be able to practice their favourite activities. With these major improvements, I am convinced that the new skatepark will attract many fans of this discipline that is still very popular.”
Source: City of La Pocatière
