MHSA working on bringing skate spot to Crescent Heights area

By Mo Cranker on September 7, 2019.

mcranker@medicinehatnews.com
@MHNmocranker

The Medicine Hat Skateboard Association is hoping to get work started this fall on an integrated skate spot in the Crescent Heights area

Before it can get shovels in the ground, the group needs to raise the last $20,000 for the project.

“We’re looking to put this one in Crescent Heights near McCoy high school,” said MHSA president Chris Nickel. “This time around we’re going a little over our original budget and we’re trying to find some last-minute cash to proceed in the fall.”

The project will be the second of its kind for the city — the group created a skate spot in the Saamis area that was unveiled last October. This time around, the area will have a large structure for skaters to work with as well as rails to grind.

“Right now we’re $20,000 short and we’ve got lots of local businesses that are donating services and things like that,” said Nickel. “We want to push to get this going this year in fall, because waiting for spring would just be a waste of time and money.

“The MHSA’s goal has always been to provide opportunities for skateboarders, whether it’s awareness, programs or infrastructure and this project encompasses all of those — we’re hoping the community can help us out here and we can move forward with this.”

The project will cost a bit more than $120,000 when all is said and done — with money coming from fundraising efforts, businesses, sponsors, the city and from grants. The construction work for the project is being completed by New Line Skateparks, a national company that is donating a number of services for the project.

‘This one here will have more transition with quarter pipes and a bowl-type area in it,” said Nickel. “It’s definitely a bit of a step up from our last one and it’s going to have obstacles in it that aren’t present at the spot in Southridge or at the skatepark here.”

Click here to be directed to the group’s GoFundMe page.

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