The Zero Gravity Skatepark in Cochrane is about to see some well-deserved repairs and upgrades.

Starting today (April 22), contractors will be repairing concrete cracks and chips throughout the park. Additional plans include sealing the coping on the bowl and fixing drainage issues to ensure no major puddling.

To go along with the repairs, the Town of Cochrane has joined forces with Shredz and The Inside to include new and upgraded equipment in the park.

“Cochrane’s skatepark was built in 2005 and so it's quite amazing that it's even in the shape that it is,” says Zach Creighton, program director with The Inside. “It's one of the first parks besides Millennium Skatepark in Calgary to go in so early in the 2000s.” 

The new additions include a Pier 7 style ledge and manual pad, along with a 2.5’ high quarter pipe. He says these new features will go a long way in making the park accessible to all skill levels.

“We really realized like when you're teaching kids at this park, everything is built for pretty advanced skateboarders. Skateboarders who are experienced and have the ability to jump high enough to ride on some of the ledges and stuff.”

“We really wanted to create a couple of features at the park that were more accessible to a wider audience. What people can look forward to is a quarter pipe going in and  some new ramps that are way better for the beginner kind of variety.”

“Also some ledges and other features are smaller and definitely way more fun for kids to use.”

When it comes to the collaboration between the Town of Cochrane and Shredz and The Inside, Creighton says it’s been a dream team.

“We've been really stoked on how the Town has been such an active partner.”

“Our experience with the council, there's been so much support and even meeting with the mayor, there's just been such a great response to skateboarding in Cochrane. It's evolved in a really cool way, they're warm to the idea of actually wanting to pour into that community, collaborate with that community and we've had a great experience working with the Town.”

Throughout the repairs and upgrades, The Zero Gravity Skatepark will remain open with some partial closures of certain areas.