State-of-the-art skate parks in Portland and Wallerawang were officially opened on Saturday as youth of the two communities turned out in force to put the new facilities to the test.
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After years of planning and consultation, the official opening of the new skate parks by Bathurst MP Paul Toole and Lithgow City Council mayor Cr Ray Thompson were welcomed as being major infrastructure projects that will serve residents for decades to come.
The day's events included action-packed skate, scoot and BMX demonstrations from the team at Totem Skate Boarding who put on some dazzling and daring manoeuvres, giving everyone a chance to see what more experienced skaters could do.
There were also lessons for beginners and giveaways while free drinks and sausage sizzles came courtesy of Portland Central School and the Wallerawang Men's Shed.
Bathurst MP Paul Toole said it was great to see the both skate parks officially opened thanks to funding of $400,000 from the NSW Government and $200,000 from Lithgow City Council.
"These new additions to the communities of Portland and Wallerawang are an example of government and council working together to deliver facilities that benefit the youth of their towns," Mr Toole said.
"To see so many parents with their children come along to enjoy the day's proceedings shows how much they appreciate having these new skate parks ready for everyone to enjoy."
Cr Thompson said community consultation had been a key to coming up with two very different designs for the skate parks.
"We asked the kids what they wanted and took that on board. At Portland the design elements in their skate park were tailored to a younger demographic, but at Wallerawang there was more older kids and that's why the design there was more adventurous with the inclusion of those big bowls," he said.
"The good things is that now we have skate parks at Lithgow, Portland and Wallerawang and they all have their own unique features. One trend we have noticed is that most of the kids prefer mainly scooters and BMX bikes rather than actual skateboards."
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