Even though the park wasn’t an illegal object and was financed by the city budget, it got torn down
Yet another facility fell victim to the ongoing demolition of all objects at Žnjan: the skate park, a favourite gathering spot of Split skaters, BMXers and other young people who used to hang out there on a daily basis.
Even though it seemed the skate park might be spared, it was torn down earlier today, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on November 1, 2017. All the equipment was moved to Dračevac, where it will be stored until the authorities decide on a new location.
The park was built by the City of Split in 2009, with more than 700.000 kuna getting invested in its construction and procurement of required equipment.
It’s worth noting that many of the catering objects at Žnjan got demolished as they were illegally built. A sort of collateral victim, the skate park was one of the rare facilities at Žnjan that had no relation to any commercial activities.
On Tuesday, October 31, the skate park was visited by Dario Fadić, vice president of the District Council of Žnjan, and Joško Markić, a councilor in the City Council of Split. According to Lokalni.hr, they wanted to show support for the skaters, aware of what was about to happen the following day.
The skate park wasn’t a work of some irresponsible individual, but was built with the taxpayers’ money, remarked Fadić and Markić, adding that around 100 children and young adults used to visit the park every day to hang out, exercise or work on their skills. “Those kids are practicing a sport that takes people’s breath away, that’s recognised all over the world and included in the programme of the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020. Other Croatian cities such as Zagreb and Osijek have built large skate parks as well, acknowledging the value of promoting such a recreational sport among the youth”, Markić said.
They appealed to the local authorities to find a solution that would work in everyone’s favour. Fadić proposed for the Youth Centre to become a temporary home to the equipment so skaters could carry on with their practice.
Deputy Mayor of Split Nino Vela stated the park was owned by the City, which was presented with a notice of demolition just like the owners of other objects at Žnjan. “We had to intervene while the inspection was carried out, to prevent certain elements of the skate park from getting cut into pieces and disposed of”, Vela said.
The most probable location for the new park? Žnjan itself, as the new Master plan entails a zone for sports and recreation. Vela announced the City will demand for the park to be assigned its deserved place in the new plan, and if he stays true to his word, the skaters will also have a say in the matter. Time will tell!
