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The City’s Transport and Urban Development Authority (TDA) will soon commence with the construction of a skateboard facility in the Woodstock Town Hall precinct. The new facility will create a safe space for skateboarders to meet, practise, and hone their skills. Residents and skateboarders are invited to attend an open day where they can view the final design.
Woodstock will soon be home to a skateboard facility, the details of which will be shared with the local community next week.
The proposal for the skateboard facility emerged as part of the World Design Capital co-design ward project in 2014, with the local community and skateboard fraternity participating in discussions about the revitalisation of the Woodstock Town Hall precinct.
‘Since then, we have upgraded some of the infrastructure in the vicinity of the town hall. For example, we paved the area between the town hall, library, and park with red brick and cobbles. We used red brick pavers for the sidewalks and pedestrian crossings along Victoria Road, and we added seven parking bays to the existing parking area adjacent to the town hall. We are gradually revitalising and uplifting this area and next on the list is the construction of the skateboard facility,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Transport and Urban Development, Councillor Brett Herron.
The facility will be situated in the eastern side of the Woodstock Town Hall Park along Victoria Road, between Plein and Aberdeen Streets.
‘The skateboarding fraternity in Woodstock was involved in determining the location of the site, the planning, and in design stages of the project. I was the local ward councillor at the time and we were all very excited about the prospect of creating a safe place that skateboarders can call their own and where they can enjoy themselves. We have now completed the final design and are eager to share the layout with the local skateboarder community and residents. The facility will be fenced off with ramps in three corners and a ramp with a hump will be constructed in the middle of the park. There is no doubt that the facility will be popular and well used once we are done,’ said Councillor Herron.
The project is funded from the City’s capital budget and amounts to approximately R634 000.
‘Construction will commence in January 2018 and should be completed within three to four months, pending any unforeseen challenges. We are looking forward to getting going, and I am sure that the local skateboarders feel the same. Through this project, we are living up to the ideals of the City’s Organisational Development and Transformation Plan which prioritises projects that will improve our urban landscape and residents’ quality of life,’ said Councillor Herron.
The TDA will host an open day where officials will share the maps, design, and information about the construction of the skateboard facility with the public. The open day will take place on Wednesday 22 November 2017 from 14:00 to 19:00 at the Woodstock Community Hall in Victoria Road.
‘I encourage residents and the local skateboarder community of Woodstock to attend the open day. The construction period is not long, but there will be limited parking at the town hall during this time, and the work will affect the traffic along Plein Street. We will have traffic controllers in the area, but I advise locals to come and see what we are planning,’ said Councillor Herron.