Council seeks fresh skate park tenders

PLANS to build Cork’s biggest skate park were back on track yesterday after a delay of several months.

The city council republished a notice inviting tenders for the construction of an in-situ concrete skate park on a site on Mardyke Walk.

Plans to build the €300,000 park were first mooted last year in an effort to get skaters off the city streets.

Tenders were sought but a council spokesman confirmed yesterday it was not happy to award the contract at that time to any of the four contractors who submitted tenders.

In the meantime, the council developed a smaller €60,000 skate park at Tory Top Park in Ballyphehane which features modular equipment.

But skaters have continued to use city centre areas such as the steps outside the District Court on Washington Street, the Emmet Place plaza outside the Opera House, and the seated area at the western end of the South Mall.

However, the council re-advertised a notice yesterday inviting fresh tenders from suitably qualified contractors to design and build the 20m by 20m park at the Mardyke.

The proposed park will feature fully integrated concrete equipment — the favoured choice of the city’s growing skater population.

It will be built on a city council owned site close to the Mardyke pedestrian bridge.

It will feature at least 14 different skate lines including bowls, half pipes, quarter pipes and grind rails.

Access to the proposed park will be controlled by the gates for the pedestrian walkway, which are open from dawn to dusk.

The closing date for receipt of tenders is 5pm on Friday, February 1, and following negotiations, council officials hope to appoint a contractor by the end of that month.

The spokesman said the council is anxious to develop the park as soon as possible and are pushing to have it open for skaters by the middle of the summer.

City manager Joe Gavin has said he may consider introducing byelaws banning skating in the city centre, but only when skaters have an alternative place to skate.