This past Tuesday town staff informed the Oakville Town Council that the plan to move the West Oaks Trails Skateboard Park to Palermo Park would not occur – because of safety concerns for pedestrians having to cross Dundas.
Members of the community expressed their concerns over this issue in our recent article titled Oakville is anti community (Please see the comments section)
Many young skateboarders would need to cross the multiple lanes of traffic on Dundas to visit Palermo Park.
“At this time we are unable to relocate the skateboard park to Palermo Park for safety concerns of pedestrians who may wish to walk, cycle, or skateboard to Palermo Park,” Chris Mark said – the Town Director of Parks and Open Space.
“We’re not eliminating the skateboard park from Palermo Park, we’re deferring it at this time,” he said. “We do have plans for the skateboard park for the future, but that will not occur until pedestrian improvements are made along Dundas.”
The decision to move the skateboard park out of West Oak Trails Park was made on June 1 – alongside complaints from residents, and reports from town staff of noise and late night skateboarding.
One week prior to the June 1 meeting – skateboarders and parents made the case not move the park. Many residents who wanted the park moved also appeared to voice their concerns.
“I’m very upset that the park is being relocated especially for the reasons it’s being relocated,” said John Foster – an Oakville resident.
“There is no guarantee that when the park is gone there won’t be kids loitering the park. I have a young song, and even if he goes to Palermo, he can’t go there himself for a number of years. This is really the only place that he can go by himself.“
“We’re spending an untold amount of money for something as simple as a skateboard park. It’s not a huge facility and I really think it should stay there,” Foster said.
Foster hopes the park can stay below Dundas.
“They need to be in a spot in their own neighborhood where they can go,” Cathy Blakley said at the meeting, another Oakville resident.
“Skateboarding is a big boom in that area, those kids enjoy it.”
In the meantime – the West Oak Trails Skateboard Park will still be removed in late July after planned skateboard lessons are completed at that park.
Town staff will be looking into alternative locations for the park immediately.
Tags: skateboard parks
About the author: Michael Burton
Michael is journalist with experience in publishing, news writing and the magazine industry. He graduated from Sheridan College and is the former editor of TRAVIS magazine.
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Great news, glad they came to their senses. Even if it might only be temporary sanity
This is good news for the town of Oakville, which is understanding that we all need a place to play.
I live very close to the park. Sometimes we hear the skateboards going by, it is no big deal.We are happy to see the kids out and about. We are looking forward to trying out the park ourselves, even though we are in our fifties!
I think we need a bigger skate board park,like the one at the Hershey center. Come on Oakville-get with it!
While I am happy to see that someone came to their senses and young kids won’t have to cross a highway to skateboard, I’m saddened to read that the skatepark in West Oak Trails will still be moved. This continues to be an idiotic decision and demonstrates that council needs to be refreshed. Is it an election year yet? We taxpayers won’t forget!