A new indoor skate park and community hotspot called The Hub is coming to the Halifax area in May, and skateboarders are ramping up for its grand-opening.
The new location in Dartmouth will be the first indoor skate park since the early 2000s. With the unpredictability of Nova Scotia’s weather, skateboarders say it’s been a long time coming.
Doug Morrison and Jake Parker are the two men spearheading this project and are the co-founders of Wild Things Skate, an environment where anyone can learn to skateboard.
But they say the indoor space they’ve been renting to give lessons has proven to be too small for the number of people who want to learn, plus it doesn’t allow for skaters to drop in and hang out.
“We’re maxed out for space in there and we really needed something where we’d have more room and have 100 per cent control of the space,” Morrison said.
The warehouse in Burnside where the park will be located has much more room, including an upstairs studio for musicians to jam and an art space on the main floor for pop-ups and workshops.
Morrison and Parker also plan to host live music shows in the space, as well as continue their skateboarding lessons and year-round camps.
Parker said the turnout for lessons has been great, with new people attending all the time. Some families have even started learning to skateboard together and have formed skating groups with other families outside of lessons.
“It’s grown substantially,” Parker said. “It used to be very male dominated, and now there’s people from all walks of life. And the group dynamic keeps you going and keeps skating interesting and fun.”
Morrison has also noticed the positive change.
“It’s just become a really inclusive community where, if you don’t feel like you belong somewhere else, come join us because we’ve got a spot for you,” he said.
It’s that kind of inclusivity that Rob Bell is looking to see at his skate shop year-round — “seeing new kids coming through, older guys that are getting back into it.”
“Spring is sprung, so you’re seeing guys who haven’t been around for a while,” said Bell, owner of Pro Skate on Quinpool Road.
Bell hopes having the indoor space will allow people to keep skating and not disappear for the winter.
“There’s a lot of really good skateboarders here right now, and this is just going to bring even more,” Bell said.
The park is still under construction, but Morrison and Parker hope to see skateboarders rolling in by the first weeks of May.