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Can they or can’t they? Only time can tell

The parks department children’s summer program started out the month with a new lease on life but is winding it up back on life support.

A Canadian teacher who read in last month’s All Point Bulletin about the program’s cancellation for lack of a coordinator came to the parks board meeting April 3 to offer her services, to the delight of board members. “This is terrific. You seem to have exactly the same experience as the program has had,” said board member David Niles to Jamie Tkachuk, a Delta teacher who has organized summer programs around the province. “Our next step is to see if we can get you in,” added board member Irene Waters.

That was the catch. When board member Shelly Damewood checked with port director Linda Robinson about a work permit for Tkachuk she learned it could take several months and hundreds of dollars. “The only types of permits we can do here at the border are for an unskilled position,” Robinson said. “This is someone who has training. I can’t say how long it would take.” However, Robinson added that her daughter could possibly be interested in the position and her staff was trying to come up with other possibilities to fill the coordinator’s slot in time for the program to start in July. “We’re trying to help.”

Damewood said while it appeared unfeasible to have Tkachuk run the summer program that didn’t spell its doom. “It’s still a go, just not as good as it was,” she said. “We have some interest from other people and I think it will be fine.”

The skateboard park was back on the agenda at the April meeting, when Mark Furno, representing a community group working on funding and planning the facility met with the board. “What we’ve proposed is an easy structure,” Furno said. “Obviously it’s going to have to start out small.” Working with skate park expert Jeff Hambelton of Whatcom County Parks and Recreation the group has come up with a preliminary design. The skate park would consist of a concrete slab, with or without a roof, supporting moveable ramps.

“We’ve had a lot of input. Now we’re trying to get some pro bono architectural and engineering services,” Furno said, adding that there was also a possibility of labor and materials being donated.

The Point Roberts parks department has agreed to provide the land for the skate park near Baker Field and take responsibility for the facility once it is built.Cost estimates to get the facility built are $8,000 to pour the concrete slab and an additional $24,000 to put a roof over it. The ramps themselves would be an additional cost. “They can be built relatively inexpensively. The kids can all get involved,” Furno said. A fence around the facility to keep it secure after hours is also being considered.

He said they had approached a number of groups, from the Tsawwassen Rotary to the Tony Hawke Foundation, as well as local community members who could donate time and materials. “We have said we’d put some money into this too,” Waters said. “We could be used for grant matching funds.”

Waters said she hoped the next month or two would see the project move out of idle. “We’re still sitting here talking. What we need to do is gather all our finances together and see what we have to spend,” she said, suggesting perhaps the roof could be eliminated or added later.

“We’ve been talking skate park for some time. Let’s get realistic and get something for these kids.” Niles said the committee’s goal was to have the skate park open this summer.

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