OUTLOOK - The town of Outlook has plenty of recreational options for those looking to get outside and get active.
Now, there's an idea being presented to try and establish another option in the riverside community.
A skatepark is a structure for the purpose of giving skateboarders, roller bladers, and BMX bicyclists an area where they can engage in such recreational activity. The question has been presented over whether such an amenity would be attractive in Outlook.
The topic was discussed at a recent meeting hosted by Brent Larwood at Outlook High School on Wednesday evening, August 23. The meeting drew just under 10 people who were interested in learning more about the idea which, if it moves forward, would actually serve as tribute to someone who was very fond of skateboarding.
Wynn Haapala, an Outlook native, died at the age of 22 in August of 2013 when he suffered serious injuries from an automobile collision. Haapala was known as an avid skateboarder in his short lifetime, and a fun-loving kind of guy who had a full zest for life.
As such, Larwood's idea is to one day establish the Wynn Haapala Memorial Skatepark in Outlook, serving as a tribute to Wynn in his hometown that centers on what was one of Haapala's favorite activities.
The idea to create such a location has been in Larwood's mind for quite some time, as he describes it as, "10 years of brainstorming, thinking, processing and getting a plan in place to make a plan!"
Larwood feels that with the number of youth in the community, the time is overdue for a town the size of Outlook to start developing an outdoor concrete skatepark. With that in mind, Larwood says that the Town of Outlook is onboard with the idea, and has offered to house the skatepark on the grounds of the Jim Kook Rec Plex. Ideally, Larwood says he'd prefer if it was located as close to the swimming pool area as possible, but those kind of discussions and decisions are a long way off for now.
He also says he'd want the location to be in line with what Wynn would have liked.
"One of the things I'd like to see is feature that Wynn would've used himself," said Brent.
A committee will also need to be formed, and right now, budgeting and research in order to come up with what a skatepark's final price tag would be is the key discussion for the time being. Charitable grants and sizable donations were said to be vital as far as any fundraising goes, as any modest amounts raised from smaller events like BBQ lunches "just aren't going to cut it" if the cost of a skatepark's construction is significant.
Those who are interested in any further developments with this initiative can email Brent with any questions or suggestions they have at [email protected], and they can follow The Wynn Haapala Memorial Skatepark Project on Facebook.
