The City of Edmonton is trying to mend fences with users of the Mill Woods skate park. The problem is, fences are part of the problem.
“This is just hideous,” said Riley Kroetsch as he curled his fingers through the green metal fence at one end of the skate park.
“Those used to be my favourite parts and then they are just blocked off,” said Kroetsch who routinely visits the park to ride his bike with his dad.
The fences were put up last year after a city survey found part of the park to be too dangerous. The annual freeze-thaw cycle left behind exposed and cracked cement.
For a brief period last April, the entire park was shut down, but opened back up after the city determined 80 per cent of the park was still safe. But, the city’s attempt to keep users out of the problem areas has failed. The fences are moved out of the way almost daily.
“They get moved from one spot to the next and it just creates a hazard. Last year they were just laying on the ground for part of the summer,” said Aaron Kroetsch, Riley’s dad. “It’s a safety concern.”
READ MORE: Portion of Mill Woods Skate Park reopens after being deemed unsafe
A city spokesperson told Global News that repairs done to the fenced-off portion of the pavement did not hold up over the winter, so the fences need to stay. However, the city is considering putting up tape instead.
Cole Lakomski skateboards at Mill Woods almost every day. He says most people who use the skate park get used to avoiding the cracks and holes.
“You just deal with it, you learn where they are,” said Lakomski.
The city has a strategy to permanently repair the Mill Woods skate park. Currently the city is surveying potential locations for a temporary park to be built. The temporary park will be constructed while the Mill Woods location is still open. Once the Mill Woods skate park is shut down for repairs, the temporary park will open. A location for the temporary park is set to be announced on April 29.