First shovel in the ground for new skatepark in West Kelowna

West Kelowna Council and the Okanagan Regional Library (ORL), together with Westbank First Nation, broke ground at the new skatepark as part of the future City Hall/Library Building site in the City of West Kelowna on June 15.

COVID-19 safety protocols limited the ground breaking to only a few representatives from the partnering organizations, along with staffs’ focuses on social distancing protocols, mandatory mask use and continued efforts to keep our senior citizen representatives safe.

The public skatepark opening event is slated for early fall 2021, pending BC’s Restart Plan, when social distancing and safety protocols are reduced and the Greater Westside community can safely enjoy an event.

“We’re making history together with the Okanagan Regional Library and Westbank First Nation in providing recreation, community services, culture and learning for everyone to enjoy,” said Mayor Gord Milsom. “Breaking ground for the enhanced skatepark couldn’t have been achieved without the valuable design input of our skateboard community and the public, and we remain grateful for their participation.”

“The skatepark is the beginning of construction on the site where our City Hall/Library Building is located, and we’re so very pleased to have the Okanagan Regional Library as an equity partner. We’re also deeply honoured to partner with Westbank First Nation to incorporate Indigenous art, language and culture that can be celebrated for generations to come,” says Milsom.

With the construction of the skatepark now underway, partners recognize the importance of continued collaboration that results in civic-centre services, recreation, culture and learning that will benefit the community and Westside visitors.

“We are so excited about the new Library in West Kelowna and ORL’s partnership with the City of West Kelowna,” says Okanagan Regional Library Board Chair Sherry Philpott-Adhikary. “Our Westbank Library Branch has been in our current space for over 25 years and we definitely need more space to serve our community.”

“The world is moving quickly and technology is changing rapidly. We used to think of libraries as storage places for books, but now we want to make it a more community-focused space. We’re looking forward to that,” says Philpott-Adhikary.

“On behalf of the Westbank First Nation community and Council, I want to congratulate the residents, the Mayor and Council of the City of West Kelowna on this next important step in their journey as a new municipality,” says Westbank First Nation Chief Christopher Derickson. “We are honoured and excited to be a partner in this project not only with the City of West Kelowna, but with the Okanagan Regional Library as well on their new location in the civic centre. For centuries, my people, the Syilx people and Indigenous people across this country, have gone unrecognized by the greater Canadian public. In fact, if you drive along the highways in the province of BC, you very rarely see any indications that you are coming up to a Reserve or First Nation community. However, in this community, residents of the City of West Kelowna and those who come through this building, will be able to tell whose land they’re on, where they’re located, and learn something about the Indigenous people, the Syilx people, and the Westbank First Nation community as they enter their civic hall.“

The enhanced skatepark area will provide different types of recreation for kids of all ages to enjoy. As construction progresses, the existing skatepark will remain in operation until the new skatepark is complete, anticipated this fall. Once built, the existing skatepark will be decommissioned in preparation for City Hall/Library Building construction.

Get involved in the Preliminary Design consultation through June 27 for the City Hall/Library Building at ourwk.ca/cityhallproject; and sign-up for the latest City news and alerts at westkelownacity.ca/subscribe.