Christine Kay
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Oct 07/02) - Two kilometres of freshly paved road in Iqaluit didn't just make car owners happy. It's also caused an outbreak of teens with skateboards in the capital.

The teenagers are grateful but they want a safer place to skateboard. It's time to build a skate park, they say.

"Roller bladers, bikers and skateboarders can all benefit from a park," said 16- year-old Andrew Kilpatrick.

Prior to the beginning of the paving program last summer, the roads in Iqaluit had not been paved since 1978. Skateboarding was next to impossible. Now, with all the cars in the city the situation is much the same.

"You do one trick and then you have to get off the road to let the car go by," said Kilpatrick.

When Kilpatrick and his friends try to board on a safer stretch of pavement, they get told to leave.

"We tried to skate at the Legion in the part of the parking lot that's not even being used. A bouncer came outside and told us to go away," said Kilpatrick.

The parking lot at the new arena is where they have the best luck. But the teens said it's hard for them to get there because it's so far away.

Kilpatrick and three of his friends wrote a letter to Mayor John Matthews back in June 2001. They still have not received a response.

Matthews said the letter probably arrived during the labour dispute and got lost somewhere.

"I don't recall the letter. I don't know what happened," said Matthews.

The next step for the four teens is to attend a council meeting, which they plan to do.

"We just wanted to get public support so people know what we're trying to do," said Brendan Doherty, 15.

Doherty said the skate park would be good for everyone in Iqaluit and even Nunavut.

Matthews said he agrees. He said $75,000 of the city's 2003 budget has been allocated to skateboard ramps.

"The more facilities that we can provide the better it is for everyone," said Matthews.

Kilpatrick, Doherty and a couple more friends said they'd be willing to help run the park.

"I would definitely take a role. We could have camps where people from all over the Arctic could come to Iqaluit," said Kilpatrick.