Council urged to consider Yarragon skate park

A Yarragon woman has urged Baw Baw Shire Council to consider funding a skate park development in Yarragon as part of next year’s budget.

Janet Pakan said i n an ideal world, council could allocate $100,000 to the project.

She said if they began with $100,000, she would work with council off icers and the community to seek matching funding for the project.

She said $5000 would enable a site feasibility study to be undertaken.

Ms Pakan addressed a special council meeting for the draft budget last week on behalf of children, parents and the wider Yarragon community.

“We are campaigning to build a skate park but our biggest hurdle is Yarragon is listed as a low priority. We believe that has changed and we can demonstrate our need,” she said.

Ms Pakan said 55 per cent of youth in the town had skateboards or scooters but did not have a facility in the town.

She said seed funding would enable the community to look at potential sites and then there would be an opportunity to attract funding from the community bank, Lions and Rotary and other grants.

“We want to identify a site and get the design work done. If we get that done we have a huge amount of enthusiasm to get a skate park i n Yarragon,” she said.

Ms Pakan said the community wanted to develop a unique design, an all abilities skate park.

“We want lots of natural surveillance so families can be there. Other skate parks (in the shire) are great but they can be quite challenging for three to four-year-olds.

“We really want something like a plaza skate park rather than a bowl or vertical skate park,” she said.

Ms Pakan told council a number of sites had been considered including Howard Park, Dowton Park and the former school site.

She said past arguments by council that Yarragon youths could travel by train to Warragul or Trafalgar skate parks were not good enough, as many parents would not let their younger children do that. “They want to hang out in their own town. “Warragul and Trafalgar are fantastic facilities but younger kids can get in the way of older kids.

“We want to create a space where kids of all ages and abilities can be there together...and still be challenging for older kids,” Ms Pakan said.