Skateboarders in NDG say Benny Skate Park is not safe

Skateboarders in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce want the borough to fix the area's only skatepark.

They say the harsh winter has widened cracks and potholes in Benny Skate Park, making it a safety hazard for users.

“You cannot really free yourself up to skate the way that you want to because you’re always worried about the crack in front of you,” said Kevin Moquin, who has stopped going to the park.

Moquin lives a few blocks away from Benny Skate Park, but says he prefers to go across the city to other parks.

Sam Kardash says he’s constantly looking out for cracks in the ground as he’s riding.

“You come off a trick off the rail, and you get stuck in this crack,” said Kardash, adding that he broke his wrist last year.

“This is just unbelievably dangerous. We need this fixed up immediately.”

Jeremy Searle, a city councillor for the Loyola district in NDG, agrees the park needs to be repaired and says he's considering using some money from his discretionary budget to fix it.

“I am proposing to make $1,000, $2,000 or $3,000 available to Mr. Kardash and his group for the improvement of the skateboard park. I don’t like skateboard parks but I do recognize that the children like them, and that’s the important thing,” Searle said.

Kardash says he's heard similar promises from city officials before.

“At this point we are going to take matters into our own hands. We’re going to be coming down, laying a little bit of cement — maybe even fixing up the potholes ourselves,’ Kardash said.

A borough spokesman told CBC that officials are looking into the file.