Ryan Graham couldn’t help but smile.
The first-term City of Penticton councilor had formulated a motion in the summer of 2023 that would potentially bring the Penticton Youth Park – a facility that includes one of the largest skate parks in the province and a pretty great outdoor basketball court too – out of the dark ages.
For as cool as the park is, it's never been illuminated. When dusk hits, the venue, surrounded by trees and far from the glow of city/structure lighting, grows dark and murky…and potentially dangerous.
But on Friday night, Graham's idea and the successful vote that followed – and the months of planning and construction that have taken place since – would come to fruition. The Penticton Skate Park would get its lights.
At 6 PM, with more than 250 onlookers milling about (including councilors Isaac Gilbert and Amelia Boultbee, each of whom had signed on to Graham's motion and councilor Helena Konanz) and mayor Julius Bloomfield flipping the same cartoonishly large ON/OFF switch Santa uses to illuminate Gyro Park at Christmas, the entire facility was, for the very first time ever, bathed in the glow of "stadium" lights.
It's a heck of a good look. Five towers now surrounded the facility, each housing a powerful LED array. Three are directed at the skate park, one at the bball court and one more at both, and together they throw enough light to allow anyone in the impacted area to do whatever they can in the daytime.
The project wasn't cheap, running $400,000 when all was said and done. It was, however, covered by a 2023 $7.2-millon-dollar "Growing Communities Fund" grant the City received from the BC government.
"It was an incredible moment," said Graham Monday of the Friday evening light-up. "It was incredibly powerful for me being a councilor but also as a father and someone who loves Penticton. It was probably one of my top three moments as a City of Penticton councilor."
According to Graham, the post-dusk crowds continued throughout the weekend.
"I picked my son up Sunday night at 7:30," he said, "and there must have been close to 75 people down at the park."
He calls the venue an "incredible asset."
"It’s been here a long time," he said. "It's an incredible asset. And we got the grant, so for me it's just something that can be used so much of the year and doesn’t cost families tons of money.
"It's about rebalance in the community with respect to assets, especially low-barrier and low-cost. And it's an asset that can be used nine-plus months a year."
For Penticton Manager of Energy and Environment Draydan Power, who, like Graham is relatively new on the job (January 2023), the light-up was his first shot as MC at a City function.
Clearly energized, Power ran the show Friday evening, often standing in the midst of boarders and bikers pulling off their best moves while advising the crowd what to expect next.
That's what happens when you're so intrinsically involved. Power led the install team and managed the contract crews for the entirety of the project.
But on Friday, he was arguably most happy the rains and the winds of a blustery early afternoon ultimately cooperated.
"It was pretty bad and we were really nervous," he laughed. "But we were blown away by the community that showed up. People showed up early and stayed late."
According to Power, the cost of the planned upgrades was a bit of a tough sell.
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"When the number was first released, there was some push back," he said. "But what we've been trying to hammer home is that we weren't just putting up a couple of street lights around the edge.
"We wanted to make sure every piece of that park was lit up appropriately and safely. That this would be a place where tournaments could be hosted, where competitions could happen. That kids are able to stick all the tricks they're attempting."
Power believes the annual operating costs of the new LEDs will pleasantly surprise most.
"They have a draw of about 11.5 kilowatts," he said. "And they'll run from dusk to 10 PM year 'round, which averages out to about 1,100 hours a year.
"Using those two numbers, we'll consume about 12,650 kilowatt-hours a year. Our City rate is $0.0997 per kilowatt-hour, so that means $1,260 per year of energy costs. Both for annual energy consumption and grid demand, it's similar to that of a typical house with electric or gas heat and a car charger."
Power added that the current dusk to 10 PM timeline will likely be adjusted throughout the year. Dependent on usage, it could go later in the summer and potentially shorter (or temporarily eliminated in the event of a heavy snowfall) in the winter.
And he says to expect more Youth Park upgrades. Additions will include a bike repair station, a water fill station, a skateboard repair station, and a power pedestal. Improvements to facility walkways are already underway.
"You know, stuff like Friday night, it touches my soul," he said. "You literally saw the direct impact of our work. It’s a more accessible place to be, it’s a safer place to be, it can be used for longer hours, and kids now have a place to go.
"It was just so special to see what it meant to people."
