Frédéric Rouyette hops on his skateboard, rides the halfpipe, and pulls off tricks. But the place where she has honed her skills and practice to this day is no ordinary skate park.
Her preferred outdoor do-it-yourself space is called Project 45, located between a soccer stadium and Le Taz, billed as Canada’s largest indoor skatepark, in Montreal’s Villeret-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension borough. Located in
The space took shape in 2010 when skateboarders built it themselves on land in the city of Montreal, and they say they benefited from Le TAZ.
But since late September, skateboarders like Rouyette have begun to worry about losing their beloved skatepark to the city’s redevelopment plans.
“My friends and I poured concrete here, we did the rebar…we did it with our own money,” Luyet said in an interview Saturday, adding that unlike most other skateparks, this space is a transitional space. It refers to street style skates, adding that they are made for skating.
Luyet, who has been a skater for the past 25 years, said Project 45 provided the challenging space she needed to hone her skills and ultimately represent her country in competitions in Brazil and Qatar. said.
“I was able to practice on the big ramps and reach a certain level of skating because I had the P45,” Luyet said.
On Saturday, she and other local skateboarders gathered at the park for an awareness event called “Skate and Don’t Destroy.”
Marie Peer Hamelin, who helped organize the event, said the city recently informed the skating community that it plans to demolish the skate park as part of a rebuilding project.
In response, she started an online petition in early October to save the skate park, which had gathered more than 6,200 signatures as of Saturday afternoon.
“This is part of our culture and we want to show that it’s not just a sporting venue, but a place for the community to come together. We know it’s not perfect, but we’re working with the city to We want to work together to find a middle ground’ (solution) and avoid complete demolition of the site,” she said in an interview.
Hamelin said he welcomes investment from the city to restore and expand the skate park, but wants to preserve the unique space that the skater community cherishes.
Fellow skateboarder Sébastien Petit helped build the skatepark in 2011.
“We started building this out of necessity because there wasn’t a better skatepark. And over the years…we built a community,” he said, explaining the construction process. It was described as a bonding experience with fellow community members.
“We think this is part of Montreal’s skateboarding heritage,” Petit said.
But while skateboarders fear Project 45 will disappear, the City of Montreal told the Canadian Press that it appreciates the skatepark’s value to the community and has no plans to demolish it.
“While it is true that some of our facilities are reaching the end of their useful life and we would like to restore, improve and update them, under no circumstances can we demolish this iconic venue.” mentioned in.
“Our aim is to adapt the redevelopment to residents’ expectations while respecting current safety and sustainability standards,” the city said, and will consult with local residents to hear their concerns. He added that he plans to do so.
City representatives were at the skate park Saturday and spoke with some of the event organizers.
Le Taz general director Philippe Jolin declined to comment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2024.
