St. Paul BMX and skatepark nearing completion, asking financial help

Construction work on the St. Paul BMX and Skatepark between the Iron Horse Trail and 53rd Avenue at 49th Street, from last summer. Image credit: Dan Reid.

Skateboarders and bikers in St. Paul should have new terrain to cover in 2020.

The St. Paul BMX and Skatepark is 85 per cent complete, said society chair Dan Reid, and work will restart in the spring to finish off landscaping work.

However, there are still costs that need to be covered.

The St. Paul BMX and Skatepark Society approached St. Paul town council in December asking to guarantee a $145,000 loan, which Reid said would allow the park to be finished by June.

“Overall, it’s all good news,” said Reid.

“We could finish everything all the details in June and not have to worry about paying any bills.”

The initiative has raised over $500,000 since the idea sprouted in 2014 to make the park a reality.

Reid secured a CFEP (Community Facility Enhancement Program) grant worth $361,000 in 2019 as well.

If the Town does not approve the loan, Reid said there are other options.

“It just makes things more complicated and we would extend the finish date. There’s a couple of options,” he said.

“We’ve got a couple of grants that we put in we got the reapply this new year. I’m pretty confident we’re going to raise more than that. But times are tough,” he said.

New Line Skateparks has worked on the 20,000 square foot park near the Iron Horse Trail and 53rd Avenue at 49th Street.

“It’s been a long process and we’ve done a lot of good fundraising and we’ve got grants and so I think the level of effort there’s been really good to try and save the municipal sides from having to fork in more donations. They’ve definitely helped out lots and we certainly appreciate all the support they’ve shown to date.”

The naming rights of the park are still available at a $100,000 sponsorship, said Reid.

St. Paul town council will vote on whether to approve the loan in January.