Plans for upgrades and builds of brand new skateparks, skateramps and skate paths are rolling on around the district.

In Whitianga, the existing skatepark at Taylor's Mistake will be replaced with a design by Australian company Convic, a well-established global leader in youth space design whose work includes designing the Valonia skatepark and Waterview BMX park in Auckland.

The new Whitianga skatepark will be built adjacent to the existing site and become a fun, safe place for all ages to skate. A well-designed skatepark provides a safe environment for skateboarding as the most common skate-related injuries occur outside of skateparks when the surface isn't designed for skating.

We want your feedback on the design of the new skatepark and will be holding the following public workshops in August:

• Thursday 22 August from 3pm - 5pm, at the Mercury Bay Area School
• Thursday 22 August from 6:30pm - 8:30pm at the Mercury Bay Service Centre Boardroom, 10 Monk St.
• Friday 23 August from 4:30pm - 6:30pm at the Mercury Bay Service Centre Boardroom, 10 Monk St.

The total design cost of the Whitianga skatepark is just under $30,000 and the estimated construction is approximately $600,000. Our Council is contributing approximately $20,000 to the design and $450,000 towards the construction through existing budgets allocated in our 2018-2028 Long Term Plan for the Mercury Bay ward.

A third of the design costs will come from the community and the remainder will be made up from external funds raised, including the sale of t-shirts and donations from The Informer and Ray Burgess, the owner of the building immediately adjacent to the existing skatepark at Taylor’s Mistake.

The Mercury Bay Skatepark Trust was established in May 2017, to help make the skatepark project happen, and it has received support and donations from a number of businesses. Any further donations are appreciated and can be deposited into the Mercury Bay Skatepark Trust bank account (03 1578 0110921 000). Please email Chris at c@devenoges.com with your name, contact details and amount of the donation

Once the costing and design has been finalised, applications for external grants will start.

For more information visit tcdc.govt.nz/whitiskatepark.

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