The quest for a new skatepark continues for a local group dedicated to giving residents in Hespeler a place to pursue their passion.
But for the time being, skateboarders took to Queen Street on Saturday to raise awareness of the need in the community.
Resident Mark Ready has been a driving force in the group coined Hespeler Needs a Skatepark for years and believes a new facility is a necessity as the community continues to grow and people are looking for things to do.
“Having a park here in Hespeler means no more trips across town for kids to ride,” Ready said.
“If a park was centrally located all riders could get there on their own. Not to mention the enormous growth Hespeler will be facing in the next decade. Newcomers will be looking for things for the kids to do.”
The event on Saturday featured a makeshift skatepark, live art and music.
Ready says the best chance to accomplish their goal is to make their way onto the city’s 2024 Parks Master Plan.
While progress has been slow, he says they won’t be giving up.
“The city is facing a huge backlog of upgrades and improvements on existing parks, trails and amenities, so we hope to keep our kids entertained here in Hespeler,” he said.
“Communication has been a little slow, as again there’s lots to be done Cambridge wide. Other groups are interested in more arena ice, tennis and basketball courts, and cricket pitches so we hope our needs are met too.”
Next steps for the group include staying in contact with the city and rallying the community for support through events like the one on Saturday.
They’re also hoping to have some preliminary park designs to show city staff exactly what it is they hope to achieve.
Ward 2 councillor Mike Devine has been an avid supporter of the group and knows the benefits a new skatepark would have on members of the community.
“There’s situations where kids have nowhere to skate, which obviously isn’t good,” Devine said.
“It’s important to have active recreation in the community for the youth.”
Devine praises the work of Ready and thinks a solution can be worked out.
“Mark has been wonderful,” he said.
“He’s very diligent and passionate. There’s no timeline but we have a group working on it. We’re hoping to get an amicable spot that’s good for everyone.”
Until that time, the group will continue to spread awareness.
“We’d like the community to know that we’re trying to get this done but it’s an extremely long process in the end,” Ready said.
“The residents of Hespeler seem to be very open about a park here so it’s just a matter of keeping up momentum and getting the job done.”
