Skateboarders, BMX riders and others who frequent the Second Haven Skateboard Park want to see the new park being planned built in the city’s core.

“We would prefer the downtown,” Shawn Pierce, the Skate For Life Alliance’s vice-president, said in an interview this morning.

He suggested nearby Rotary Peace Park would be an ideal spot for a new skate park.

Skate For Life has been working over the last few years to design and fundraise for a new park.

Attention to the project picked up steam two weeks ago when it was learned a French first-language secondary school will likely be built at Second Haven’s site (currently Yukon government educational reserve land just over the Robert Campbell Bridge heading into Riverdale).

A new skateboard park would be constructed elsewhere in the city if the new school’s location, favoured by the territory’s francophone school board, proceeds.

Second Haven was built in 1995.

Pierce said there are other possible locations outside the downtown core – including near the Canada Games Centre – but the downtown locations are in more open areas and easier for riders to get to.

Skate For Life officials are hoping to meet with the territorial government next week to talk about possibilities for a new park.

“We want a say in the location and we want a say in the design,” Pierce said.

Mayor Dan Curtis also called on the territory for consultation about the new skate park so it can be built in a location and way that benefits the vast majority of Whitehorse residents.

Speaking at Monday’s city council meeting, the mayor noted the city has also requested a meeting with Yukon government officials on the matter.

Residents need to have a say in when and how the project happens, he said.

Curtis stressed he would like to see the territory initiate consultation and report back to the city.

If Yukon government land is found for the new skate park, Curtis said, it would be up to the territory to initiate any consultation process. He stated his request that the government do just that.

Otherwise, if the territory is looking to use city land for the new park, the city would initiate a process to consult residents about it. Other issues would also have to be addressed.

“We also have liability concerns,” Curtis said. The only way to move forward is with consultation, he stressed.

He outlined a number of potential locations being looked at around the city such as the Fifth Avenue and Rogers Street, near F.H. Collins Secondary School, and in the Sumanik Drive area.

The mayor also encouraged all developers to first meet with the city about their proposals so they can get a sense of what other plans may be in place in the same area their development is planned for.

Coun. Dave Stockdale joined Curtis in calling for the city to be involved in finding the right spot for the new skate park.

He said he hopes all council members can meet with the territory to understand what’s planned for the area.

“It is a very important decision,” Stockdale said.

Among those who frequent Second Haven, feelings about the new facility are “pretty mixed,” Pierce said.

There’s been a number of broken promises over the years by politicians on upgrades to the current park that were never done, he pointed out.

The announcement of the plans also seems sudden for many who don’t want to give up their park for a new school.

Pierce said he’s noticed an increase in the number of users at the park over the last three years as scooters have also become more popular.

Skate For Life has estimated the cost for a new skate park of roughly the same size to be about $500,000.

Cabinet spokeswoman Elaine Schiman said in an email correspondence late this morning there will be continuing discussion and work on the matter.