Bridgewater Skatepark’s official opening party saw people of all ages come out to try their wheels on the new facility yesterday.
Some of those people were teens when they started to push for a park in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Ida Scott’s son Paul was an avid skateboarder.
Scott wasn’t quite sold on the idea when Paul picked up a skateboard at the age of 12.
But after she found out he had borrowed a friend and was spending hours at Lunenburg’s skatepark, she figured he didn’t have time to get into trouble.
When he and his friends wanted a skatepark Scott helped them learn to advocate for their cause.
They created a committee and started fundraising.
Armed with cardboard models they would go to local councils to share their visions.
“In order to be successful, the young people had to help build and create or raise the money because then they protected what they helped build,” says Scott.
Scott’s son died in a car accident in 2004 at the age of 22.
Even after his passing, Scott continued to help with the group.
“In a way, my involvement was a tribute to our son Paul, who was killed and he would be so proud to be a part of this today.”
At the opening ceremonies Scott was presented with a board by Jesse Watson of Homegrown Skateboards depicting the construction of the park as a thank you for her hardwork.
It’s a proper party now. pic.twitter.com/M6sRaapdbj
— Brittany Wentzell (@BrittWentzell) July 14, 2018
The skatepark is the culmination of fundraising, multi-level government support, private donations, and a lot of leg work from local skateboarders.
The final bill was $645,000 for the park, located on York Street in Bridgewater.
Story and photos by Brittany Wentzell
Twitter: @BrittWentzell
