By KATH GANNAWAY
WARBURTON skaters are counting the days to when they will be rolling on their own skatepark.
Work begun on the long-awaited skate park during the school holidays following two years of planning and the recent finalisation of the design.
The $180,000 project was funded by the council and was a recommendation of its Skate and BMX Strategy.
The project was driven by a group of local young people and community groups who formed the Warburton Skate Park Group.
Brandon Abella, Barney Reilly, Angus Meede and Finn Peri-Collier had a chance to look over the earthworks and said they were happy to see the project on its way.
“I guess there’s a sense of relief,” said Brandon who has been working on the project from the start.
“Everyone involved has really contributed pretty heavily to getting this started and it’s also thanks to Su Yin (Chan), Karen (Swankie) and the shire,” he said.
Ms Chan is a community development worker with Upper Yarra Community Enterprise (Community Bank) and Ms Swankie is VCAL co-ordinator with Upper Yarra Community House.
Councillor Jim Child said the young people who initiated the project, and those who have followed it through, had presented a great plan for a second generation of young skaters who he said have really taken the project on board.
Michael Dorman is working with Precision Skate Parks on the project.
