TO:                  Committee of the Whole     

 

FROM:            Jim Baird, Commissioner of Development Services

                        Valerie Shuttleworth, Director, Planning and Urban Design Department

 

DATE:            April 26, 2005

 

Re:                 Naming of the New Skate Park

 

                                                                                                                                                        

 

At Development Services Committee on Tuesday, April 19, a staff report recommending that the new skateboard park at Bullock and McCowan be named “Markham Centennial Skate Park” was received.

 

Committee members asked that staff provide further comments to Committee of the Whole on the following four name options:

 

  • Markham Centennial Skate Park
  • Markham Centennial Sk8 Park
  • Markham Centennial Skateboard Park
  • Markham Centennial SK8board Park

 

 

Staff supports the use of “Skate Park” rather than “Skateboard Park’ because this park is for all skaters including boarders and in-line skaters. The use of the word “skateboard” in the name would give the perception that certain users, such as in-line skaters, are excluded. The only users who are excluded are BMX bikers.

 

“Sk8” is an acronym that is well known among youth, is hip and trendy, and has been used in some skate park names. Staff contacted DBS Skate Supply about the use of “sk8” and they indicated that it is an acronym that is used mostly on products, merchandizing, and in marketing. Interestingly, they thought that it is “a bit forced and trite” and that the word “skate” may be more civic in nature and more appropriate to a high end park like ours.

 

Based on this, staff continue to recommend that the new skate park be named:

 

 “Markham Centennial Skate Park”.