Position created to help stop problems at Mount Nelson Athletic Park

By Steve Hubrecht
[email protected]

In an effort to curb ongoing troubles at the Mountain Nelson Athletic Park (MNAP) skatepark, the district of Invermere and Summit Youth Centre are pairing up to create a summer-long skatepark youth ambassador position.

Reports of bullying, aggressive behaviour, vandalism, drug use and possibly worse at the skatepark have circulated on social media and among concerned parents for weeks, and almost a month ago prompted the district to issue a brochure outlining guidelines for proper and respectful behaviour at the skatepark.

Invermere leisure service manager Cortney Pitts then discussed the issue further with Summit Youth Centre manager Alison Bortolon.

“Summit Youth Centre staff stated that they had also recently received comments about people at the skatepark. The issues, however, as they have heard are with some people’s behaviour at the MNAP, not the skateboarding or scooter activities themselves,” read a district document on the issue, presented to councillors at their Tuesday, April 27 meeting. “It was suggested that instead of policing the skatepark, the focus should be on education, awareness, and youth outreach to promote good behaviour. The skatepark ambassador would be present at the park to help promote respectful behaviour at the park.”

District staff proposed the idea to council at the meeting, outlining that the Summit Youth Centre program coordinator Devin Publikover would be an ideal candidate for the role, since he already has established good working relationships with youth in the community in general, through his work at Summit, and with youth who skateboard specifically, through his Rite to Ride foundation.

“He would be the perfect fit,” Pitts told council, outlining that Publikover set up a tent at the skatepark as a sort of trial run and “it was taken really well…it was great for the atmosphere there.”

In the proposal to councillors on the position, district staff outlined that ideally, the position would run from early May through to early September, would involve the ambassador being at the skatepark three nights a week up until the end of the school year, and five days a week (for a total of 20 hours a week) for the rest of the summer. The projected cost to the district was $3,600 in salary, plus an additional $1,000 for snacks and drinks for the ambassador to have on hand for the youth. District staff outlined that some of that funding can come from the $7,000 the district has earmarked for summer ambassador programs.

Invermere council had already discussed the skatepark at its late March council meeting, and then again at its Tuesday, April 13 committee of the whole meeting. At the April 13 meeting, the issue was pressed by councillor Kayja Becker. It was Becker who brought the problems at the park up in March, after being approached by parents. After the district put out the brochure about respectful behaviour, Becker continued to hear from concerned parents, and decided to do some personal research into the issue, visiting the park several times while out walking her dog, and talking with kids there, finding that parents’ concerns were legitimate.

“It can be a scary place. There’s aggression…drug use…vandalism. It’s not a good thing,” said Becker at the committee meeting. She noted that if even adults needed an ambassador at the beach and downtown last summer to help remind them to follow COVID-19 rules, then it makes sense to have an ambassador at the skatepark to help youth follow COVID-19 rules and, at the same time, follow other common-sense behavioural rules and courtesies.

“We want to make our spaces safe, if we can,” said Becker. 

Invermere chief administrative officer Andrew Young, at the committee meeting, mentioned the district had received reports of large gatherings at the skatepark and had confirmed incidents of vandalism by youth at the skatepark. The district had video images of youth in the area at the time and would be following up, according to Young. “Youth may be experiencing more stress than adults (with COVID-19),” he said, suggesting that an ambassador could help improve the situation at the skatepark. 

At the April 27 council meeting, councillors unanimously supported partnering with the Summit Youth Centre to create a skatepark ambassador position.