The fences are down on Gympie’s new youth precinct

The fences surrounding the hotly anticipated youth precinct off River Road in Nelson Reserve are coming down this afternoon and everyone is welcome to explore and try out the new, competition-grade facility prior to its official opening on Sunday, 17 November.

Construction commenced in April this year following significant community consultation in June and July 2018 – particularly with local skaters and riders – and the results shaped the final design.

Mayor Mick Curran is thrilled with the standard and quality of this precinct.

“This facility has been attracting a lot of attention from the broader skating and riding communities and we know that once word is out that the fences are down, there will be a lot of interest from far and wide.”

“And while that’s great news for our region, this is a space for all local residents and we wanted our community to get the first chance to take a look, so we’ve kept this a little under wraps,” he said.  

The precinct features:

• An integrated pump track

During preliminary community engagement, the pump track was the most requested element for the new precinct and as such, pump style elements have been seamlessly integrated as part of the flow section of the park, to allow users to ‘pump’ their way around the park. 

• A skate bowl and flow area

This competition-grade bowl will be ideal for competitions, spectating and skating/riding. The surrounding flow areas will also allow beginners to develop new skills.

• Landscaping and gathering spaces including lawns, shade shelters, seating and viewing areas, bike racks and a performance space.

• Renovation of the existing pool building as a viewing deck over the space.

There will also be a bouldering wall for low height climbing. The wall is still being fabricated and will be installed in the coming weeks once completed. There will also be a number of other minor elements that will be finalised throughout the space to complete the project. 

The official opening, which commences at 12 noon on 17 November, will include formal proceedings and a rededication of the facility by the RSL, given the site’s history as a Memorial Pool in memory of our fallen soldiers. 

The official proceedings will be followed by skateboarding, scooter and BMX demonstrations and giveaways, as well as live music. 

“While our community can have a sneak peek over the coming weeks, we hope that they will also come on down to celebrate the precinct’s official opening, which is happening on the same day as the RSL’s Centenary Family Fun Day in Nelson Reserve,” said Mayor Curran.

More information on the official opening will be shared over the coming days. Council is encouraging people to follow its Facebook page to stay up to date.

The $2.8 million youth precinct is a joint initiative of Council and the Queensland Government under the Building Our Regions Program. Council’s contribution towards the project has been $1.4 million. The project is on track to be completed within budget.