Soon, there will be a spot for the Winnipeg skateboarding community to kickflip year-round.
The wheels are turning on a new indoor skatepark in within Portage Place mall which is expected have something for everyone.
To be named Pitikwe Skatepark, the Cree word means “come in” or “welcome” which is a fitting title given the genesis of the group behind the project.
The Manitoba Skateboard Coalition, a group of local skaters who banded together last year to call for an indoor skatepark which welcomes all, partnered with the Spence Neighbourhood Association and the Forks North Portage Partnership to secure the old Staples location.
“We felt that we needed to create a space of our own that was ran by the community,” MSC member Graham Constant said.
Constant said not accessing a spot to skate indoors last winter took a toll on him and the rest of the community.
The only indoor skatepark in Winnipeg is The Edge, a park operated by Youth for Christ-operated which faced criticism last year for allegedly discriminating against LGBTQ2S skaters and employees.
Fellow MSC member Lyndsey Wallice said the community was largely left to their own devices, using parkades and shovelling concrete to get in a skate session. The new spot will now offer an alternative, she said.
“We need a place that’s warm and that facilitates those friendships,” she said.
The group also sees the project at as an opportunity to revitalize downtown.
In May True North Sports + Entertainment announced its $500 million plans to overhaul Portage Place which will see it transformed into a three-part campus with a healthcare centre, affordable housing, a grocery store, green space, and arts and culture services.
Member Mark Berndt sees the park project as way to make downtown safer and more vibrant.
“Are we gonna fix all the problems? Probably not, but can we help? Can we turn a leaf? I think so,” he said.
The coalition is planning to host an open house at the new space to get feedback on what sorts of obstacles and ramps the skate community wants to see built inside, but Constant said he’s confident there will be something pleasing for all levels of skaters, bmx bikers, scooter users and rollerskaters.
“For the community by the community.”
Comments