| 3 Tauranga City Council: Skate Park development The skatepark design includes a very large flow-bowl environment, with a very deep section and shallow sections. T T Richard Loader REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Olympic quality skatepark on the way Contact us today! 07 213 0890 | info@gtcivil.co.nz | www.gtcivil.co.nz Your go-to contractor in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty for Pipelines, Pumpstations & Civil works. Surfing and skating just seem to go hand in hand, and the Tauranga City Council (TCC) has embarked on a project to deliver an Olympic quality skatepark for all those kids, both young and old, to break out their tricks and surf the concrete waves. Encompassing over 3000sqm, the new skatepark which is now under construction, is part of the Blake Park Recreational Reserve and borders busy Maunganui Road, the main road into the Mount. TCC Design Lead Peter Fraser says one of the key drivers for the new skatepark was that Tauranga’s existing skate facilities were outdated, and no longer ticked the boxes with the community’s ardent skating enthusiasts. “It was 2020 when skateboarding first featured as an Olympic sport and there was talk then about getting our skateparks up to standard and creating a world class facility. So that’s what we’re aspiring to achieve. “The skatepark won’t be just for skateboarders, it’s for all roller users including roller skaters, scooters, and BMX.” Peter’s role as TCC Design Lead means that he takes the project from initiation, through to detailed design and then assists with the delivery of the finished skatepark. Richard Smith from RICH Landscapes was engaged as the skate park designer, who brought a wealth of knowledge and experience to the project from previous skatepark projects. One of the things Peter really enjoyed was assembling a team of 25 skaters covering all roller modes, who became the co-design group. Over three workshops Peter and Richard sought the group’s input to identify a comprehensive list of needs, wants and requirements, to ensure the park hit the sweet spot for its users. From a design brief, Richard developed a concept for the skatepark The design includes a very large flow-bowl environment, with a very deep section and shallow sections, which Peter says is bound to attract a lot of skater attention. “Another big feature is a surf skate ditch, which is like half a pipe that snakes, with lots of different obstacles to navigate and do tricks. There’s quite a big surf-skate movement sweeping the world at the moment, which takes a slightly differently designed skateboard that enables the skater to skate as though surfing a wave. The skate ditch will imitate that. “The skate ditch also runs parallel with Maunganui Road so as people drive down the road they will see skaters appearing to surf down the ditch. We’re also building a whole lot of street skating areas in the park, which will have competition style stairs for tricks on hand rails, ledges and the stairs. “There are quite a few unique obstacles that Richard has designed, and he has introduced some 3D concrete printing into the park which we’re pretty sure is a world first for a skate park. There will be a two-metre high wave with one side 3D printed that skaters will skate up.” The skatepark will include usual park amenities like landscaping, gardens, toilets and seating, drinking fountains, shade-sails and a BBQ area. Enabling earthworks are currently being undertaken by GT Civil with Angus McMillan Concrete scheduled to commence construction of the skatepark mid-July. “We have designed the skatepark to be built in four zones, and if all four zones are completed we’re looking at a May 2024 completion date. Whether we complete all four zones will depend on funding. “Tauranga City Council has confirmed approved funding of $3.6 million and we’re shortly to commence another external funding round. “To date we have received community grants from Tauranga Energy Consumer Trust ($1,023,000), New Zealand Communities Trust ($459,370), Lotteries ($528,847) and Project Tauranga ($200,000), which we are very grateful for. It has been an awesome project to be part of.”
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