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) i ! 3 ,- 1 ' 2 - THE PORT PERRY STAR, Tuesday, Februa By Chris Hall Port Perry Star A location for the town- ship's skateboard park has finally been determined. After months of discus- 'sion, a decision was made Thursday night (Feb. 22) during a public meeting that Unity Park will be built behind the Scugog Community Centre. The other location being considered was the site of the former arena ice pad, in downtown 'Port T S fulic in Powder Room by Ripzone 27, 2001 Perry. While Thursday's meet- ing was calm, there has been plenty of debate on the issue in the past, par- ticularly by local mer- chants who were opposed to the park being placed in the downtown core. In" the end, it was agreed by the majority of those at the meeting that the park should be. built near the arena. Township councillors on hand all but promised that the park would be built by this summer, "This is a win-win situa- tion for everybody," said Jay Todd, Scugog's parks and recreation director, a day after the meeting. "Yes, we could have built it in the downtown core, but that would have caused a lot of grief. This is the way to go if we want to go ahead with this pro- ject." Constructing the skate- board park at the commu- nity centre would allow the township to take another step toward building a complete recreation com- plex at the site, he said. Currently there is an ice pad, beach volleyball pits and ball diamonds at the site. There are also plans for a second ice pad and a pool in the works. "This would be another feather in our cap. It's included in our (recre- ational) master plan, and we think it's a great spot Dorothy in Asian Creations "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" Arena site chosen for skateboard park there," said Mr. Todd. "It'll serve as a destination for people." Getting approval from council for the project will "be a formality, he said. Township staff were plan- ning to visit the proposed site last Friday afternoon. There is also a plan to meet with the members of the skateboard communi- ty sometime in the coming weeks to get an idea of what the users would like to see included at the park. "The kids have been waiting for this for more than two years; it's time to get this thing started," said Mr. Todd. Other sites considered for the skateboard park included parkland near the Starlite Deli on Scugog St; a small park area on Pine St.; and the site of the former Birdseye Pool, near the Scugog Memorial Public Library. During last week's meeting at the Latcham Centre, Scugog Mayor Doug Moffatt appeared to be in favour of building the park out at the Scugog - Community Centre, as opposed to downtown. "There's ball diamonds and soccer fields and vol- "leyball out that way; hun- - dreds of kids manage to get out there and take * part," he said. "It seems reasonable to me that it should go where the concentration of ath- letic activities are." As the meeting pro- gressed, it became clear from skateboarders in attendance that they just wanted a place to go and enjoy their sport, regard- less of its location. Ward 2 Councillor Marilyn Pearce pleaded to the group on hand to con- sider the community cen- tre location. She said the final call would be Mr. Todd's, who will have to recommend the site to council and come up with money out of his 2001 parks and recreation bud- get. The park could cost as much as $80,000 to build. Volunteers have raised about $22,000, and the remainder 'must come from the township's park and rec budget and con- tinued fundraising initia- tives. "You've waited three years for this," said Councillor Peaice. "It seems to me you should be moving up (the priority list)." Concerns over ameni- ties at the community cen- tre were addressed by Mr. Todd, who suggested that in time the centre would be open year-round and washrooms and snacks would be available then. Lights could also be added to the site at a later date, allowing the park to be used during evening hours. The centre is closed now in the summer, but would be open during those months once a sec- ond ice pad is constructed, he said. Near the end of the meeting, an informal poll was held, with the majority of those in attendance showing their support for the community centre pro- posal. While disappointed with the location of the park, Pauline Young, a strong supporter of the concept and proponent of the downtown location, seemed pleased that work would finally get under way. Also happy with the outcome was Business Improvement Area (BIA) president Julie Brock. "It's what we wanted; the BIA members will be happy," she said following the meeting. "It'll be at the arena where it should be, part of the recreation com- plex there." David's Hairstyling introduces "Kimberley" welcomes Port Perry areas to stop in for a brief cong surroundi on fotnding looks. Kim's previous 20.years of speci waxing and nails. Kim has owned salons in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. clients & ience includes. «4 ing in color, ----