Revelstoke refers $225,000 for skatepark funds to budget process

It was the best that the Columbia Valley Skateboard Association (CVSA) could have hoped for. Revelstoke city councillors at the council meeting on Dec. 6 accepted the association’s request for $225,000 in funding and referred it to the budget accounting.

The CVSA will have to wait until the 2017 budget is finalized, a process that returns to council to be approved.

The CVSA’s treasurer Matt Rebelo attended the meeting and had a chance to present to councillors about the project which has been ongoing for about seven years.

“I feel like it was generally well received,” he said.

The association is running out of time to get the final funds to build their skatepark, with grant use-by dates approaching next year.

Rebelo said Revelstoke’s park is out-of-date and now few local kids are growing up with an appreciation for the skating sport.

“Every other major centre that has these parks, they’re packed everyday, with all age groups and it’s a very positive atmosphere,” he said. “And I think that’s one thing, without seeing what these parks are like in other communities, you don’t see how great these are and especially for kids. It’s not just 30-somethings that want this facility.”