Local Skate Park Petition Makes Its Way Back To Morristown Council

MORRISTOWN, NJ — A Morristown resident and business owner spoke before the council at a recent town meeting inquiring about the possibility of a long-desired skate park coming to Morristown.

Daniel Arias, a local skateboarding fan and owner of the new Cultivate Skate Shop, emphasized the popularity of skating, recalling a previous skate show formally held at the Hyatt about ten years ago.

Arias maintained that skateboarding has been an Olympic sport since 2020 and that the skating community has only grown, not only globally, but locally in Morristown. "With the skate shop here we have a lot more grounds to show you guys that skateboarding is a very popular sport," Arias said.

Arias claims that he previously petitioned the town, but that it did not result in anything concrete, and that he now hopes to bring the conversation back to the table.

"My whole purpose is to see what we can do to actually get this on the roll and to actually take this more serious, rather than just hey another kid coming up here to just say 'let's get a skate park.' I do think it is time," Arias said.

Rebecca Karger, a Morristown resident, expressed a similar interest in the park, claiming that the New Jersey Roller Derby would benefit greatly from the endeavor.

"We skate in the center of Morristown, and not only skateboarding but also roller skating is a great activity. When I was in high school, it was illegal to skateboard in this town, and I just think it's a very healthy activity," Karger said.

In response, Mayor Tim Dougherty mentioned insurance costs and potential neighborhood complaints that could arise as a result of the potential addition of a skate park.

"However, the question I would pose to the owner of the skate shop, who I will engage in a conversation with, is that the kids I talk to that are in the downtown, they like coming to the downtown because, to them, it feels like a city," Dougherty said.

Arias proposed locating the park at either the Elliott Street Playground or Speedwell Lake, but Dougherty questions whether skateboarders would use such a facility, given their apparent preference for downtown Morristown as a destination.

"I'm not saying it is not going to happen; we have been looking at it for years. We don't have a lot of land, obviously, as we all know that, but if you propose it to a park that is already in a neighborhood, then the neighbors will come out and say that they don't want a skate park, so it is not an easy task to do," Dougherty said.