Skip to content

Kelowna Lower Mission gets a new skate ramp

The mini ramp will be open to ride on May 28
29213638_web1_220526-KCN-skateboardminiramp-piv_1
Anna Zeitner sitting with the mini ramp that was two years in the making (Anna Zeitner/Kelowna Skateboard Association)

Kelowna’s Lower Mission neighborhood has a new spot for people to be active outdoors.

The Kelowna Skateboard Association has installed a mini ramp in one of Kelowna’s communities that didn’t have a park for skaters to ride.

Two years after the project began, and many hours of hard work later, the mini ramp will be open to shred on May 28, beside the Capital News Centre.

“It’s really user-friendly,”said Anna Zeitner, founder of the Kelowna Skateboard Association and skate coach, explaining that the three-foot-tall ramp is fun for everyone from beginners to experts.

The initiative was started by a group of boys from Okanagan Mission Secondary who thought their community needed a space for youth to skate.

In 2020, Evan Strang, Jovin Bertoia, Takoda Ito and Noah Goodyer started an online petition requesting a skate park be built in the mission. The petition caught the attention of local riders and city employees but the initiative gained little traction.

“We kept getting brushed off,” said Zeitner, about gathering support from elected officials and city employees for the skate project.

Zeitner took on the project and won a $10,000 ‘Partners in Parks’ grant to build a temporary mini ramp that could be used until the Mission Skate Park is built. She worked in collaboration with the City of Kelowna parks department and said that Doug Nicholas and Stefan Johansson were instrumental in getting the project off the ground.

In addition to the grant, the Kelowna Skateboard Association raised $6,000 from an online gofundme fundraiser.

Local company NDY Contracting, builder of the B.C. Airhouse facilities, built the mini ramp “from scratch” using locally sourced materials and products.

The ramp was built by the skateboard association in collaboration with NDY Contracting (Anna Zeitner/Kelowna Skateboard Association)
The ramp was built by the skateboard association in collaboration with NDY Contracting (Anna Zeitner/Kelowna Skateboard Association)

She said that the best part of the ramp is that they can move it to a new location once the Lower Mission gets their own permanent skate park which has been scheduled for sometime in the next five to 10 years.

Zeitner said that she feels strongly that people of all ages should have access to free outdoor activities for their mental and physical well-being.

READ MORE: Kelowna commercial property interest thriving

READ MORE: 215: Memorial honours unmarked graves found 1 year ago at former Kamloops residential school


@Rangers_mom
Jacqueline.Gelineau@kelownacapnews.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and subscribe to our daily and subscribe to our daily newsletter.



Jacqueline Gelineau

About the Author: Jacqueline Gelineau

I'm a reporter in the beginning stages of my career. I joined the team at Capital News in November 2021...
Read more