New skateboard park in Vaasa opens on 2 October

A concrete skateboard park of approximately 1,000 square metres has been built on the Vöyrinkaupunki side of the Onkilahti activity park, north of the parking areas at the end of Pitkäkatu.

Members of the local skateboarding club have also been actively involved in the planning of the park.

– We managed to get all the different styles of street skating incorporated in the design. The park provides elements for enthusiasts of all levels. There are ups and downs at different angles, and there are also curved ramps of different sizes, say city sports director Mika Lehtonen and the secretary of Vaasa Skate ry Jussi Haapamäki.

A great central location and easy to reach

According to Haapamäki, it is especially important to have an outdoor skateboard park in Vaasa right now.

– Skating culture strongly includes the fact that you always skate outdoors in the first place. We hope that a decent outdoor park will also bring more active skateboarding enthusiasts to Vaasa.

Enthusiasts of the sport were also involved in choosing the location of the skateboard park together with representatives of the city.

– The location in Onkilahti Park is great: it’s suitably central and easy to get to from all parts of Vaasa, explains Haapamäki.

According to Lehtonen, the new skateboard park combines urban culture, exercise and sport.

Landscaping work will continue next year

Work around the skateboard park in the Onkilahti activity park will continue during the autumn and next spring. Tiling work will be carried out in the autumn, and outdoor furniture installations and plantings will be carried out in the spring.

The skateboard park will be completed in co-operation across administrative departments: the skateboard park will be built by the City of Vaasa’s Public Utility Services, Sport Services will be responsible for financing the investment, and the Public Utility Services Sports Venues unit will be responsible for maintaining the park.

The estimated cost of the project is 350,000 euros. The contractor for the skateboard park is Leikkiset Oy.