Skateboarders set for upgrade in Venus Bay

VENUS Bay’s skateboarders and scooter riders can look forward to a brand new skate park with South Gippsland Shire Council expecting the project to be completed during the current financial year.

The skate park will be part of a revamp of Jupiter Boulevard Park.

Those businesses keen to construct the facility have been submitting tenders, which need to be received by November 1.

As well as a modern skateboarding facility, a basketball area will be created.

Consultation on the skate park was undertaken in March this year after the release of a concept design.

While most of the 98 responses received were positive, some suggestions led to design changes.

The most significant alteration was to the planned direction of the basketball area to reduce the potential for stray basketballs to impact skateboarders.

Venus Bay skateboarders and scooter riders are currently restricted in terms of available facilities, with a basic skate park located near the town’s community centre.

Venus Bay Community Centre manager Alyson Skinner is delighted to hear skateboarders should soon have access to a modern facility, that also caters to those with more advanced skills.

She explained the new skate park has been a long time coming, saying $125,000 was originally committed to the project five years ago as part of $400,000 infrastructure funding for Venus Bay.

Several delays have occurred since, with Alyson saying COVID and council undergoing a period of administration have contributed to the delays.

She explained that the planned skate park development is now part of a wider project.

“It got rolled into the renewal of the whole of Jupiter Park,” Alyson said.

She noted a lot of work has already taken place there, such as relocating the playground and installing a table tennis table, with an area set aside for the skate park.

“People in the Venus Bay community are very keen to see this done before summer because we have so many more families here, so many young people and people on skateboards,” Alyson said.

She hopes the new skate park will be an addition for locals rather than a replacement for the more modest skateboarding facility at the community centre.

“I will argue that is still a useable part of the community centre,” Alyson said.

It has been used for programs such as street art workshops and for young scooter riders honing their skills.

As for the new skate park, it is an exciting development for skateboarders to look forward to, but local hopes that it will be ready for this summer seem a little ambitious.