HALP Skatepark
Queensville
East Gwillimbury, ON
It's very rare that I make a post on a park that's still under construction but this one's 'special'. I'd heard rumblings about more terrain in East Gwillimbury over the past year.
The Park is now open - New Post HERE
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| Pretty sure this is just a skatepark placeholder design. I haven't been able to find final design plans anywhere. |
This is the first concept render I've found for the park and it's in a
Jan 2026 article. Still no date for the outdoor amenities booked.
Finally got a concept from the source - New Line
Then I saw a post from someone who's a skatepark builder.June 8
Then, a month later, someone working for Canadian Ramp Company, posted a drone shot to their story of the build site. There's been some ground work and looks like the bowl has been excavated.
This was posted on July 11.
I went back and checked more stories and found out they had been on site since May 22, 2025. |
I guess the good news is that there's no other CRC builds from earlier this year I'm going to find.
update - 14 months later & still not done!
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I was visiting a friend in East Gwillimbury this week so I had to check it out. There's a road that runs right next to the build so after dark, we went back for a lurk.
We didn't explore the whole site but from what I saw, the bowl is excavated.
Footings poured for a hubba and a ledge. I also spotted a framed out 'Pier 7' Ledge.
So here comes some skater math.West Shore Skate Spot was built in 6 weeks. On time and as promised.
This project is 6 weeks into to the build.
Let's say it's 3 times as large a project. So allowing 18weeks for completion, it should be done by the last week of October.
CRC is Approximately at the same point WSSS was at 15 days in.
So if my skater math is correct, they're on track, even if I think that should be way further into the project.
Less rapping, more concrete!
Aug 20 update
SEPT 16th Lurk
On a day full of skating and advocacy, I lurked the build. IDK how close to finished they are but the coloured concrete looks nice. HALP will have it's grand opening in October 17-19, 2025 with the outdoor stuff opening next year. Interestingly, one of the crew (one of the IG posters) added me on IG that same day. No Communication yet but I welcome a conversation E-R. UPDATE
It's Nov 8th and the park is nearly done but
they're well late of my 'Skater Math' date of Halloween.
Gonna be a really cool transition to the pump track.
Got my hands on some specs. It's a 6-9ft bowl.
So they're late, but the outdoor amenities aren't due to open til spring so I can understand why they haven't poured the flats. It's hard to keep kids (me) off a completed park.However, they don't have all the walls of the bowl poured so I say they're behind schedule. That bowl looks like it's going to be gnarly with shallow end vert and pool coping.
With no apparent public consultations, it appears the park got a bowl only the designer wanted and with no other apparent transition in the park, it looks like we haven't learned from past skatepark design mistakes (see ABB).
PS - Fence was open.
aaaaaaand, I'm wrong.
Almost there...
But how's the bowl going?
OH.
1 section of QP as of Nov 18.
Who asked for this bowl? Was it Jon?
(Aug 22, 2026. Jon reads my blog. Hi Jon! Jon did not ask for this bowl or design this bowl but Jon likes this bowl. More notes below)
March 2026 - It's been too cold to start up but I got a better lurk.
The dirt & drains for the asphalt pump track is in place.
There's a bit of a drainage problem in this corner. This was caused by the retaining wall and no slope off the park. It's gonna need a drain. This has been sent to the right people.
This was the only other puddle
The Pier 7's a little short. Why isn't there more ledge onto the upper deck?
Straight up, I think it was Jon! (it was not - see above)
Just a little crumbling crete on the ledge.
I finally got a good look at the 'Big 3' side.Big 3 to nothing.
(I guess it's getting paved)
Giant Bank to ???. Gap to walking path.
Will there be 'watch for flying boards/scooters/kids' signs?
Remember that this is the drop-in for the step-up, hip and pillar ollie gap and it has no deck.
Someone sent this to me.
That's why you don't pour skateparks in the winter CRC.
Alrighty Then.East Gwillimbury announced the outdoor amenities would open 'the week after Canada Day' so nice and vague.
On July 9th I checked out the site and it's amazing...
Amazingly still not open.
Even worse; The skatepark is being fenced off because it's not complete.
Lots of rebar sticking up. IDK what the plan with the inside of the track is but it ain't done.
Still a ton of dirt piles. The paths around the skatepark are not done. Red Shirt there - American/Canadian Ramp company.
The digger was unloaded and in use next to the park before I left.
BUT I'll bash all things fairly. The basketball court next to the skatepark is not complete. I briefly chatted with a guy from Melfler, the General Contractor. They were fencing off the pump track and park and said the other outdoor amenities may open tomorrow.
14months on site ( Melfler says they're on schedule) and still at least a week away from completion.
As I type this, EG's FB has posted the outdoor park is opening July 10 with an official opening on Sept 1st. It's also posted that the Reading Garden, Skatepark, Pump Track & multi-use court 'should open later this summer'.
Pathetic
be ready for an extremely critical review
August 2026Still not officially open. The bowl has been completed by experts. The rest of the park...time will tell.
Landscapers have been working but overall design flaws are causing dirt to end up on the park (downhill slope onto park👎). This small qp didn't look great. It hadn't rained in a while and there was a big puddle on the upper deck.
The cracked surface has been patched by the steep hubba.
5.5' to 9' Keyhole Bowl with Tile and Pool Coping. I trust the quality but who asked for a pro-level bowl at a neighbourhood skatepark? There's not much other transition to build up to the bowl. Two sections of the shallow end were poured last year with the rest of the bowl this spring. There are already rumours of the bowl being filled in. I have an email into the Town's Rec Division. (Update - It's not getting filled in)
So here's what I know (I saw Jon today). It was created by a designer that is no longer with New Line Skateparks but they kept the design. Melfler got the build contract and subbed to Canadian Ramp Company. CRC brought in some pro's to do the bowl (One particular pro commented that one of CRC's guys has been building skateparks for 7 years and doesn't know what he's doing) while doing the street section themselves. There's been reports of puddles and bad finish work (see photos) but I should skate it soon.
Now, Do I create a new post for the final product or add it to the beginning of this one?
The whole project summed up in one photo.
