New skatepark in Aylmer north to open this fall

A new skatepark adjacent to a freshly-paved basketball court is coming to the Lucerne district, with the addition of modules at Parc Renard almost finished. According to Gatineau spokesperson Marie-Michèle Barrette, the construction process started in June and should be completed by the end of September, making the park accessible by October. Ms Barrette told the Aylmer Bulletin that the skatepark project includes an investment of approximately $505,000, adding that Gatineau Skateboard was heavily involved in its planning process. She explained that Parc Renard was selected as the best place for a new skatepark in Aylmer because of its size and geographic location, noting that the sector is highly residential, with lots of families and nearby schools, but lacking in recreational infrastructure. 

Emphasizing that Gatineau is dedicated to developing more recreational, sports, and community infrastructure to improve its services for residents, Barrette added that the city plans to eventually develop skateparks in all five sectors. That includes projects at Parc Henri-Dunant in 2022 and Joseph-H-Maloney Park in 2023 in the Gatineau sector, and a revitalization project at the Parc Manoir-des-Trembles skatepark in the Hull sector. “These additions will relieve traffic at Parc Central in the Plateau district,” Barrette said in an email.

Councillor Gilles Chagnon says he worked hard to bring more recreational infrastructure to the neighbourhood since the start of his mandate in 2017. He told the Aylmer Bulletin that he felt gratified to accomplish one of his most personally-important priorities of improving services for families and teenagers.

Chagnon noted that skateboarding was recently featured in the Summer Olympics for the first time. He said the timing is ideal to introduce a new skate park for local youth to take advantage of. “This is going to provide another activity for teenagers,” Chagnon said, adding that the project also includes the preservation of a considerable portion of green space. “I’m very happy that all my neighbourhoods are seeing their needs met.”

Calling Parc Central essentially the only quality skatepark in the city, Gatineau Skateboard Director General Jean-Philippe Roy told the Aylmer Bulletin that the addition of a new one at Parc Renard is a huge benefit to the community. “We’re so happy that the city is seeing kids’ interest in the sport and is supporting us in this. We are pleased to be able to work together to put in place investments that will last a long time and that kids will be able to use,” Roy said.

Mr Roy noted that Aylmer’s new skatepark will be slightly smaller than the one at Parc Central, but of the same quality. He added that Gatineau Skateboard is dedicated to supporting the city in developing additional skateparks in different neighbourhoods and to eventually build a centralized skateboarding destination-style facility.