Skate goes on: Teenagers Caleb, Bryce, and Lachie, front, and Jackson, Nathan, Tyson, and Brayden, back, have a Facebook page calling for a skate park in Mooroolbark.Picture: Rob Carew
THE push for a skate park to be built in Mooroolbark is continuing.
The Weekly first reported on a group of youngsters campaigning for a skate park in the area back in May — and since then the momentum has grown.
The 'Get Mooroolbark a Skatepark' Facebook page — created in April — now has 440 likes.
Petitions have also been doing the rounds in the community. A post on the Facebook page from September 8 said almost 600 signatures have been collected on it so far.
The goal is to get more signatures before making a presentation to the Yarra Ranges Council.
The boys have also been conducting surveys to get input into what design features people would like to see at the park. A bowl and a box jump got the highest number of votes.
At present, Mooroolbark residents have to travel to Lilydale or Croydon to use a skate park.
The group has four locations in Mooroolbark in mind, but their preferred site is in Cardigan Road.
The Croydon Y Space — site of the revamped Croydon skate park — recently won a design award from Parks and Leisure Australia.
Y Space officially opened in March and cost $616,000 to complete.
A group of teenagers from Warburton are also pushing for a skate park.
They presented a petition to the council last month with more than 800 signatures. There are eight skateboarding/BMX parks in the Yarra Ranges area and two in Maroondah.