Portage Parks Committee continues to fundraise for Rotary Skate Park

It won't take a decade for the Portage la Prairie Rotary Skate Park to be completed.

Chair of the Portage Parks Committee Melissa Draycott says that's about how long it took to get the funding for the Interactive Water Feature, but Simplot Central Park will see skateboarders and more much sooner. In fact, after their most recent 50/50 draw with Prairie Abattoir, the Parks Committee is more than halfway to their original goal of $500,000 in under two years.

"It's not unusual to see that Portage la Prairie supports the community so well," says Draycott. "We are so excited to be able to have this particular fundraiser and see it take off like this in the last week or so."

Chair of the Portage Parks Committee Melissa Draycott

Draycott says phase one will see the bulk of the skate park finished. Phase two will include a bowl, something many skaters are looking forward to. She notes they won't worry about fundraising for that part of the park until later.

"The reality is a bowl is something not all levels of skateboarders or scooters can actually handle, and so it did become part of our phase two component," says Draycott. "We would like to see the skate park put in the ground and heavily utilized, and then continue fundraising for that bowl element."

The committee will making their 50/50 draw today at noon and then they'll work toward their next fundraiser. They plan to reach out to local businesses while also applying for more grants to get even closer to their goal. Sales for the 50/50 were well over $4000 early in the day Thursday.