Work begins on 2nd community skate park

By the end of the fall, there will be a second skate park in the Houma-Thibodaux area.

This one will be in the southern reaches of Lafourche Parish.

Construction is underway to build a skate park in Golden Meadow – a parish-funded, $340,000 project that will be located within Oakridge Park inside the town limits.

Construction on the park started on June 20 and Golden Meadow councilwoman Priscilla Mounic said contractors are aiming to complete the project by late-fall.

Spohn Ranch Skateparks is designing the facility, which lawmakers in the area said will add diversity to the recreational offerings that will be present in Lafourche Parish.

“There is a group of kids who seemed to be forgotten,” said Mounic, who helped come up with the idea and pitched it to the Lafourche Parish Council. “They don’t do organized sports for various reasons. This skateboard park may appeal to them. Our community park will now have something for all the children from Larose to Leeville.”

The park will be the second of its kind in the area.

Terrebonne Parish completed work on the Friends of Fireman’s Skate and Bike Park located at 161 Library Drive in Houma last summer after many months of debate, planning and then construction.

Some citizens were highly concerned about the skate park bringing trouble to Terrebonne Parish, and many residents spoke out about the park’s existence at council meetings prior to it being built.

But in the 14 months since being opened, authorities and Terrebonne Parish Council members said this week that activity at the park hasn’t been out of the ordinary and most skaters have obeyed the park’s rules and have been courteous and respectful to their peers while using the facility.

A peek at the Houma Park’s official Facebook page seems to confirm that, as well.

On the page’s wall, there is some negative feedback, but it’s mostly about litter or other minor problems. When brought to light on the page, the conversation usually changes and the issue is rectified right away by skaters who have taken pride in having a public area to call their own.

“It’s really not been as big a deal as some people made it out to be,” said Patrick Allen, a Houma native who skates the park during his off days. “When something in the area is different, there’s always a little bit of hesitancy there and I understand that. But for the most part, people just use the place to have fun. Skating is fun. It’s good exercise. I’m glad the park is here. I think we needed it.”

Folks in Golden Meadow hope the same thing will happen at their park.

Golden Meadow Mayor Joey Bouziga has said repeatedly throughout the planning phases of the project that he thinks the skate park is a good thing and will be useful to the area’s youth.

Bouziga said he’s never skated a day in his life, but added that part of being an effective politician is being able to approve things you’re not interested in if they improve the quality of life in your area.

“We’re excited about this,” Bouziga said at a planning meeting for the park. “We’re going to do this and we’re going to do it right.”

The Golden Meadow skate park will be smaller than the one in Houma, but it is being built to fit community demand.

Designers are building the park with room to grow on it in the future as demand grows or if further funding becomes available.

Vincent Onel, a designer and developer with Spohn Ranch Skateparks, said the design his firm finalized came after hours of meeting with local skaters and hearing their input on what they’d like to see in their space.

Onel said pieces of the park will be able to be used by skaters of all skill levels. Bouziga added that signs will be posted at the park proclaiming that skaters are to skate at their own risk.

“You’re on your own,” Bouziga said. “We’re not responsible unless if it’s a piece of the park that malfunctions of breaks. For anything else, that’s not anything we’re dealing with.”

Golden Meadow SkateparkCOURTESY

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