Mick Greene, Independent candidate for the Kilkenny Borough Council, has said that he believes that he may have a solution for both skaters and residents concerned about the location of a skate park in the area.
Speaking to the Kilkenny Advertiser, Greene said that the outgoing members of the borough council agreed during May’s meeting to proceed with controversial plans for a skate park at the Closh near the Fair Green.
However due to current economic conditions funding for the facility will not be forthcoming for quite some time. Kilkenny Borough Council has set aside €50,000 but much of this will go to the full archaeological assessment required at the site.
“Greater value for money will be achieved if we locate the skate-park in an area that already has a good rolling surface, as an archaeological assessment and associated ground works will not be required,” he said.
“Several sites that meet this criteria come to mind, including the greatly underused taxi-rank behind the Bank of Ireland in the Market Yard which is due to be removed according to the Kilkenny Mobility Plan. This area is already accessible, central, monitored by CCTV, and is far from any residential area. I have been speaking with several manufacturers of modular skate parks who believe that the €50,000 set aside by the council for this project would be sufficient to get a fully functional skate-park in place quite soon. A modular skate-park consists of individual transportable units that comply with European safety standards. One such manufacturer, who has been responsible for the installation of over 600 skate parks throughout Europe, has agreed to employ people in Kilkenny to construct the park and to source all the steel works from a local fabricator. The frames of the units have a 25-year guarantee while the rolling surface has a 10-year guarantee. A rental option is also available, and the modular nature of the equipment means that the park can be moved if necessary or would have a resale value if a concrete park were to be constructed at a later date.
“During these difficult economic times, more innovative solutions and greater value for money are required. We simply have to provide facilities for young people while respecting the wishes of local residents,” Greene said.
