Saturday was the grand opening celebration for the Imperial Skatepark. The ribbon cutting ceremony shows members of Team Hot Wheels, some of the crew from Artisan Skateparks and Charlesa Kline, City Council President, holding the ribbon as Trevin Moreno cuts it in two, officially opening the new skatepark. (Johnson Publications photo)
Artisan Skateparks’ crew chief, Durand Deasley, speaks to the crowd and members of Team Hot Wheels at the skatepark grand opening. (Johnson Publications photo)
Skatepark grand opening celebrated
The long-anticipated opening of the Imperial Skatepark finally materialized last Saturday at its Campbell Park location.
Before speeches were given and the opening ceremony commenced, the new skatepark was teeming with skateboard, scooter and bicycle enthusiasts.
There was a multitude of youths trying out the new facility while their parents looked on. Some of the Artisan Skateparks crew joined them and showed off their abilities on skateboards.
The event began with City Council President Charlesa Kline welcoming the crowd and gathering the members of Team Hot Wheels around her.
She spoke to them directly, praising their tremendous efforts and work of raising nearly $200,000 for the skatepark.
For the benefit of all the youths and onlookers in attendance, Kline read the rules of use and safety for the skatepark.
A sign listing all the skatepark rules will be posted on the premises in the near future.
She encouraged everyone to maintain respect for the work that had been done to bring the dream of a skatepark to life.
Kline spoke about key financial facts concerning the project and the companies involved in designing and building the park.
She then introduced Durand Deasley, crew chief for Artisan Skateparks, to say a few words.
Deasley said he couldn’t praise the members of Team Hot Wheels enough for all their dedication and hard work to make the skatepark a reality.
He said he rarely saw this kind of dedication, especially in people so young.
He spoke on the importance of following the rules and being safe.
“There’s still some open ground on the back side of the skatepark. We would be glad to come back sometime and add more onto the park. Just let us know,” Deasley said.
He thanked the community for their kindness and support, not only for standing behind the kids and their fundraising, but for the generosity shown to the crew while staying in Imperial the last couple of months.
“This is a great community. Thank you all for welcoming us here while we were building the park,” he said.
Deasley commented they had not been many places where community support was as incredible as Imperial.
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