Waterford Skate Park Project - The New Community Skatepark

Raising Tomorrow: Nurturing the Next Generation

“It takes a village to raise a child, and if we don’t give our children something to do, that’s on us. We only have ourselves to blame.” It’s common to find ourselves asking deep questions such as, ‘What difference am I making?’ ‘Have I succeeded as a parent?’ ‘How can I help future generations?’ While these are not easy questions to face, there are answers for us each individually and as a community.

The Waterford Skate Park Adventure

Forward thinking can feel ominous, especially when you’re not entirely sure where or how to begin. Thankfully, lessons of the past can be a tremendous teacher for those who are willing to listen. In a recent conversation with Kerry Bockenholt, Chair of the Waterford Skate Park Committee, she shares her thoughts about impacting future generations through the new community skatepark currently under construction in the Town of Waterford.

Kerry Bockenholt, also a local business owner in Waterford, was noticing that youth in Waterford didn’t have much to do socially and physically which was leading to situations of youth boredom and mischief. Having raised two of her own children (now adults) and volunteering with youth in Waterford, she was aware of the importance of keeping youth involved, active, and providing space for them to feel purpose and belonging. After contemplating how she could make a difference, she landed on the idea of an outdoor, concrete skatepark, thus beginning her seven-year journey in advocating for a skatepark.

Embarking on Excellence: Initiating The Waterford Skate Park Project Journey

The Waterford Skate Park (WSP) committee was officially formed in 2018, and the initial legwork in getting the idea off the ground took tremendous effort and mental fortitude. Not knowing where to start was the first hurdle the committee experienced in gaining traction on the project but committed to the vision of making a difference in future generations fueled everyone to find answers.

“The first year was a big learning curve full of meetings, deputations, and determining the proper next steps,” says Bockenholt. “Just like finding the right committee members for the Skate Park Committee, we realized that we needed to also find likeminded groups within the community that were already active in local events and projects. By teaming up with other existing community groups, the project had now become bigger than just our committee – it had become a community-driven project… If you get everyone together, the whole community is asking for [the skatepark], not just one person.”

Together We Rise: Gratitude for Collective Support

Bockenholt expressed a deep gratitude towards the groups that joined her advocacy efforts and helped propel the project forward, groups such as the local Lions and Lionette Clubs, the Legion, the Waterford Heritage C Agricultural Museum, the Chamber of Commerce, and others.

When asked about what makes up a strong committee for a community skatepark project, Kerry shared the importance of bringing on a core group excellent at fundraisers, a core group of people that will set strategy throughout each phase of the project, and even a call-list of people that are “just willing to do anything for you, you just need to ask them.” Bockenholt also shared that on top of recognizing the importance of these supporting groups, she shared a message to anyone chairing their own community skatepark project – “Recognize when someone knows more than you and can do a task better and faster than you. Put your ego aside, use peoples’ strong suits! This will help you get the project done faster and with excellent quality.”

Onward and Upward: Charting Our Project’s Growth

Throughout the years, the Waterford Skate Park committee members also changed, and while this created some uncertainty for the committee “the new members that joined the committee came on at just the perfect time to help propel the project through to the very end.”

Bockenholt shared that the original design of the skatepark was done by someone in the community who is generationally minded. “He grew up doing sports at skateparks, and now has his own kids so he obviously cares about safety and functionality.” In collaboration with the successful bid proponent, Drop In Skateparks, Canada’s most-centrally located skatepark design-build firm, the design of an 8,737 square foot skatepark featuring a 1,500 square foot bowl, numerous rails, banks, ledges, a stair set, and much more offers users the opportunity to grow their skills through the varying range of element difficulties.

Fundraising events had been and continue to be an effective strategy for creating excitement and awareness surrounding the skatepark project. Some of the fundraiser events that the WSP organized included steak barbeques, auctions and silent auctions, selling merchandise through local businesses and the Waterford Skate Park’s website (www.waterfordskatepark.ca), and teaming up with the Legion for Chase-the-Ace events. Bockenholt highlighted some unique events that the fundraising team organized as well – family-oriented auctions and auctions geared towards community members 19-years-old and above, and a current event called ‘The Board Project’ happening between April 3-May 10, 2024, where these skateboards will be auctioned off.

“This was a really neat idea that our fundraising team came up with where blank skateboard decks were provided to local artists to create an original design on,” said Bockenholt. “Over 100 skateboards were designed and donated to this auction event!” The fundraising events, specifically the auctions have been “amazing for growing community-mindedness, togetherness, and feelings of contribution towards a common goal.”

When asked to share some final thoughts about the Waterford Skate Park project and what her and the committee learned through campaigning for their successful project, she commented, “Remember what you’re doing it for. This park has nothing for me – my kids are grown and have moved away. But it leaves a legacy for the next generations and impacts generations of families and kids. It’s showing them this if we all band together you can accomplish amazing things.”

While you might not catch Bockenholt using the new skatepark, when asked what value the skatepark project has brought her she was quick to respond that “I’ve met some friends who are going to be my friends for life! People that I wouldn’t normally have interacted with I came into connection with – through the skatepark!”