Parkour area in Centennial Park unavailable as city jumps on summer maintenance

The only free parkour and obstacle area in Fort St John will be temporarily unavailable as workers upkeep the playground and its strangely-shaped structures.  

Fort St John’s recreation department informed residents that the parkour area in Centennial Park will be temporarily closed for summer maintenance and reminded residents if they see caution tape or workers at the site, it is not safe for play. 

Maintenance will be performed on the flat parkour structures, which are designed to mimic  the flat exterior walls of buildings in urban areas – this texture allows the traucer, or player, to navigate between the various spots seamlessly.  

A key element of the sport is controlling the landing and roll. Landing is important because the force behind the jumper can be quite powerful, and if they land improperly the force will intensify any injuries as they fall.  

After they land, the traucer must follow through, and eventually transfer the force from their landing into another form of energy, this is where the roll comes into play.  

The city installed the parkour area in 2019, and it became open to the public that August while the rest of Centennial Park remained under construction. 

Recreation staff said the repairs are expected to be completed August 7, but may continue into the following day.