The historic and renowned China Creek Skatepark in Vancouver has been updated after more than 40 years, and people are celebrating on Vancouver Island.

B次元官网网址淓ssentially itB次元官网网址檚 a space that has saved a lot of peopleB次元官网网址檚 lives,B次元官网网址� said Peter Ducommun, also known as PD. B次元官网网址淚 know that sounds a little bit dramatic, but if you consider the neighbourhood and you consider that, often, skateboarders tend to be drawn to skateboarding because they donB次元官网网址檛 seem to fit in anywhere else.B次元官网网址�

PD is the owner of PDB次元官网网址檚 Hot Shop, which features the brand Skull Skates B次元官网网址� CanadaB次元官网网址檚 oldest Skate Shop B次元官网网址� located in Vancouver, Japan, and as of 2022, Qualicum Beach.

PD first skateboarded at China Creek Skatepark during its early years in the 1980s. He said skateboarding carried a lot of stigma at that time, so having a skatepark in Vancouver was a big deal.

China Creek Skatepark opened in 1979 and is the oldest active skatepark in Vancouver. ItB次元官网网址檚 also one of the first in Canada and one of North AmericaB次元官网网址檚 earliest concrete bowls.  Until 2001, it was the only public skate park in the City of Vancouver. The park was built over a creek basin and was used as a garbage dump in the 1920s and 1930s.

Skateboarding was developed in the 1950s as an alternative to surfing during poor wave conditions, according to the Vancouver Skateboard Amenities Strategy. Drained swimming pools were used in those early days, but access to them wasnB次元官网网址檛 widespread, so skaters used whatever public spaces they could find.

Sean Rigby remembers discovering China Creek Skatepark when he was just eight years old. He would spend his summer mornings assisting at his dad's shop before being set free to entertain himself until the streetlights came on, armed with two slices of pizza and a pop.

B次元官网网址淚 got a skateboard under the tree one Christmas, so I would just start going around the neighbourhood,B次元官网网址� he recalls. B次元官网网址淎nd then one day someone said, 'have you ever been to China Creek?'B次元官网网址�

It was unlike anything heB次元官网网址檇 experienced before. Although it was a bit B次元官网网址渞eckless and dangerousB次元官网网址� sometimes, he made good friends and learned how to skateboard really well (he was later sponsored).

B次元官网网址淚 couldnB次元官网网址檛 get enough of it,B次元官网网址� he said.

Jay McIntyre was also young when he discovered China Creek Skatepark. McIntyre, now a Bowser resident who works as a senior designer and project manager for Transition Construction, also got his first skateboard for Christmas. It was right around the time 'Back to the Future' was released. He wasnB次元官网网址檛 interested in organized sports and felt a connection to the skateboarding culture and to others who were skateboarding, he explained.

Although he wasnB次元官网网址檛 a regular at China Creek Skatepark, he knew it was highly regarded by other skateboarders. So, when the opportunity arose for him to be involved in upgrading the park last year as senior designer with Transition Construction, he felt both excited and intimidated.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a daunting task when youB次元官网网址檙e involved with a project that has been pivotal in peopleB次元官网网址檚 lives,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭his project had the highest stakes of any project weB次元官网网址檝e ever worked on.B次元官网网址�

McIntyreB次元官网网址檚 role with Transition Construction was to convey and communicate the skatepark vision while navigating the required red tape. That vision came together after years of work from local skatepark users, Vancouver city staff, and supporters, but it almost didnB次元官网网址檛 happen.

Jamie Maley, designer and project manager with Transition Construction, said the park would have been removed if it hadnB次元官网网址檛 been for a dedicated bunch of individuals. Maley first experienced the excitement of the China Creek Skatepark at the age of 12, when he travelled from Mission to attend the Slam City Jam contest. B次元官网网址淚t was a wild first introduction to skateboarding culture,B次元官网网址� he said.

Maley met Rigby approximately 10 years ago through skateboarding. He said Rigby was instrumental in helping China Creek Skatepark achieve official designation on the Vancouver Heritage FoundationB次元官网网址檚 Places That Matter Community History Resource.

After travelling and living abroad, Rigby returned to Vancouver and moved in across the street from China Creek Skatepark. He began spending time there again while also trying to obtain a grant to improve the park. It was a struggle, and Rigby almost gave up on the idea, but eventually, others joined the fight and a grant was secured. A series of meetings began to seek public input, and from those meetings, a plan was developed.

At that point, Rigby was contacted by several people who werenB次元官网网址檛 happy with the plan. B次元官网网址淭hey were just in tears, saying you canB次元官网网址檛 put that there, you canB次元官网网址檛 do that, IB次元官网网址檝e been doing that run for 30 years,B次元官网网址� he recalled.

Maley and Rigby reconvened, over chicken wings and beer, and decided to draw up a new plan B次元官网网址� on a napkin. B次元官网网址淎nd that became the final proposal which is China Creek as you now see it,B次元官网网址� Rigby said.

Maley still has the napkin.

B次元官网网址淎ll designs need to start somewhere,B次元官网网址� said Maley.

From that sketch, they came up with two preliminary designs, and once feedback was collected, a final design was drafted.

McIntyre created the construction drawings and away they went. But it was still no walk in park, McIntyre revealed, given China CreekB次元官网网址檚 history.

B次元官网网址淭his park was a little tricky given that itB次元官网网址檚 built upon a landfill, is within the Japanese Beetle Control Zone, and was required to match into the existing structures,B次元官网网址� he said.

Although there were challenges, Transition Construction knew what was at stake, according to PD. B次元官网网址淚 think they were the perfect choice [to complete the upgrades] because they understood the responsibility they were being given, which is pretty heavy if youB次元官网网址檙e in the skateboard community, and probably not so much if you arenB次元官网网址檛,B次元官网网址� he laughed.

PD was pleasantly surprised when he visited China Creek Skatepark a couple of weeks before it reopened. Although the budget wasnB次元官网网址檛 huge, the result was impressive, he said.

B次元官网网址淟ook what they ended up doing,B次元官网网址� PD said. B次元官网网址淭hat to me said they really put a lot of love into it.B次元官网网址�

Jason McMillen, a landscape architect and part of the Vancouver Park BoardB次元官网网址檚 Park Development team, was involved in the Vancouver Skateboard Amenities Strategy. That strategy prioritized the renewal of China Creek Skatepark due to its age and condition. McMillen said China Creek Skatepark has gone through several generations of skateboarders. After several rounds of city-wide engagement, he was struck by how many people felt closely connected to it, having grown up in the space.

B次元官网网址淭he goal that we heard was to try to honour the heritage and existing layout the best we could but give it a refresh around the edges and complement those features to improve them,B次元官网网址� he said.

There was a palpable buzz while Transition Construction was completing the upgrades, and Maley said that before the reopening in October, it was next to impossible to keep skateboarders out. B次元官网网址淭he Vancouver skateboard community had been waiting for this for a very long time and their excitement was overwhelming, in a good way,B次元官网网址� he said.

The skateboard community wasnB次元官网网址檛 disappointed. The vast majority of the feedback received since the opening has been positive, McMillen confirmed.

McIntyre said that he and the team at Transition Construction are thrilled to have contributed to preserving a part of Canadian skateboarding history.  The upgrades included B次元官网网址渁dding some rad stuff without messing up the old lines.B次元官网网址� People can still skate their old lines, or completely avoid the bowls, he said. New features have been added for beginners, and those looking for a challenge wonB次元官网网址檛 be disappointed.

B次元官网网址淢y hope is that it will become a place of community where people come together to have a good time, build skills, friendships and relationships; a place where everyone can feel safe and included,B次元官网网址� McIntyre said. 

How fitting, McIntyre said, that a skatepark initially built on throwaway land and treated like a garbage dump, has now become the jewel of the neighbourhood.