After years of asking the city for a place to skate in Hespeler, skateboard enthusiasts from the group dubbed "Hespeler Needs a Skatepark" will finally get their wish.
As shown in the 2025 Cambridge city budget, the city has identified a location and will start the design process to build a new park for Hespeler area skaters.
"Well it’s been four years and we finally got a win," said the founder of the group Mark Ready.
If the budget is approved, the park will enter the design phase in 2025 which will include consultation with community members and design work from a consultant at a cost of $110,000.
The actual construction of the site will take place in 2026 with a budget of around $550,000.
The identified space is at the head of the Mill Run Trail on Sheffield Street in Hespeler. There are currently two options, one that would require the use of Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) land and a second that would take up parking spaces in the existing lot next to the trail.
Ready said they have already obtained permission from the GRCA to use the land at that location and it would be better suited for their needs.
"We believe this will be a problem for residents and trail users if the skate park was at this location as we want to attract users not drive them away," he said. "We flat out deserve better."
In a Facebook post, he notes that the goal has always been to build on the GRCA land and keep the existing parking lot for skaters and those using the trails, but the city has its sights set on the lot.
"We firmly believe we have a viable plan the community can rally behind in the GRCA site option and as a group are willing to fundraise for it," said Ready.
Ready and his group have been fighting for four years to get something built and have been operating a pop-up skate park on Queen Street in Hespeler during the road closures.
His goal is to create a space for the next generation of skaters in Cambridge and specifically in the Hespeler area, but added it's now in the hands of the city.
"Hespeler residents please make your voices heard and let councillor (Mike) Devine know your thoughts," he said. "We want to do this right the first time to ensure a lasting, superior product that the village will enjoy for years to come without losing out on what we already have."
The city will announce public input sessions for the skate park as the design phase gets underway.
