One of the people behind the Port Kembla DIY skate park has given the thumbs up to plans to invest in a mobile version for the city's skaters.
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Wollongong City Council is in the middle of a call for feedback on its plans to buy a mobile skate park.
"Projects like these take time as there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that goes in to making new skate parks happen," council's Community Services Director Kerry Hunt said.
"The good news is, we're moving forward on a plan to have a mobile skate park that can be temporarily located in open spaces across the city.
"We've $100,000 set aside in our budget to make this park happen this year - and what we're asking for right now is for our community members to rank four options in most to least favourite.''
The four options the council are asking people to consider are a modular pump track, a single large mini-ramp, a mobile funbox and a variety of street-style features.
The move has been in response to a large number of requests for skate parks across the council area.
"Unfortunately they take a long time to plan and deliver," a council spokesperson said.
"A mobile skate park allows council to provide safe, affordable and timely opportunities for skating to meet this need."
Port Kembla resident Will Mitry started the suburb's DIY skate park in King George V oval back in 2021 with his son as a home-schooling project during COVID.
In March 2022 the council announced the park would be demolished but a push to save it ultimately led to the local chamber of commerce gaining NSW government funding to build a permanent park.
Mr Mitry said they were in the process of geotechnical work on two possible locations at King George V oval.
He was supportive of the council's mobile skate park plan.
"If they can come up with some good locations for the mobile facility I think that's great," Mr Mitry said.
"Spreading the facilities to the smaller communities and smaller neighbourhoods, that would be awesome.
"There's no shortage of places where they could put them put a mini-ramp for a couple of months and give the local kids a bit of fun."
He suggested the mobile park may be a "test case" for the council to see how it is received, though was unsure how moving it from one site to another would be managed.
"I think the management of it is going to be a challenge for council because it's going to take time to move," he said.
"They have to determine where they're going to put it next and get the location ready for the facility."
Community feedback on the mobile skate park options is open until August 30.
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Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
