By Katie Ryan
Residents driving to the Common Wealth Centre next week will be faced with restricted access to the facility. Construction on the new skateboard park begins mid-July and to prepare for the highly anticipated park, contractors will be closing the 12 Street entrance on July 14 to the CWC until work is complete.
Access to the CWC will be available at  the two other  entrances along Highway 16.
“People just need to be aware of that when they are accessing the facility by coming in off 50 Avenue,” said director of parks and recreation Corwin McCullagh.
The contractors will be arriving and setting up shop next week, preparing for their July 19 construction start date.
“We are going to need a couple of days just to allow the contractor to come in and set up and that is where they are going to be putting in their offices and that’s why that access is closed,” said McCullagh.
“The contractor will bring in his trailers and everything he needs and a small compound to store equipment and everything else including materials as well.”
The new skateboard park is expected to be completed by mid-October of this year and since it has been several years in the works, along with the skateboard community the city is pleased to see progress.
“I am happy to see the shovels in the ground but the real satisfaction comes when it’s actually completed and the community starts benefitting from it. It’s great to get it off the ground but the real satisfaction comes when the project is completely done but also when the rest of the CWC grounds – the landscaping in and around the facility and the sports fields – are completed,” said McCullagh.
“Having the landscaping and the skateboard park all completed this fall will actually make sure the entire facility is in fact finished and that will be the real satisfaction.”
City engineers are also working in the final designs of the 12 Street intersection added McCullagh.
“It will provide that extra entrance into the facility, the CWC. Hopefully we will get the additional paving of the parking lots and the intersection will be completed and will be ready to go by Oct. 1 if everything works out right and the weather cooperates.”