Cape May County Skatepark Opens in Ocean City

Skateboard lovers finally have a place to call their own in Ocean City.

The Cape May County Skatepark opened around 3 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 24, about four years after the original skateboard park at Sixth Street and Boardwalk was shut down.

The new park is now open on Asbury Avenue near Sixth Street.

“I saw big kids, little kids, adults, experienced skaters, inexperienced skaters all having fun,” said Councilman Michael DeVlieger, who spearheaded the drive to open the new park. “They were all collaborating and all working together, and that’s what it’s all about.

“This is a real treasure. This is for everybody.”

The official ribbon-cutting is scheduled for Oct. 10 at noon, during the Ocean City Block Party.

DeVlieger went on to say the park is a healthy alternative for people who don’t excel in traditional sports activities. He also said they’ll be announcing their first contest “shortly.”

“It’s culturally significant for this community,” DeVlieger said. “But it’s all for nothing if we don’t form a culture that’s healthy.”

He reminded residents who use the park that wearing a helmet is mandatory.

“If you see someone without a helmet, or who is acting unsafe, tell them to stop, and if that doesn’t work call the city, then the police, then me,” DeVlieger said. “And if you don’t have a helmet for your kids, go get one.”

The full list of rules is as follows:

• No food or glass containers
• No alcohol or tobacco
• Skateboard park is for skateboards only
• No bikes, scooters or roller blades
• No personal ramps, boxes, rails or similar items
• No amplified sound
• Parental Supervision is strongly recommended for inexperienced skateboarders and children under 12 years old
• Helmets, elbow pads and knee pads are required
• No abusive or profane language or aggressive behavior
• No skating in adjacent parking lots, sidewalks or streets

The project was finished in three months and under its $750,000 budget.

About $500,000 of the cost was covered through a Cape May County Open Space and Farmland Preservation grant.

The other $250,000 was budgeted by the city, DeVlieger said, a cost already offset by revenue from a new municipal parking lot installed where the old skateboard park had been near the Wonderland amusement park.

The park, which shares the block with the Ocean City Fire Department, includes many features that appeal to skaters of all ages and abilities. There is a large bowl, a “snake run” – a smaller bowl with an open section that allows skaters to cruise, a “street section” that mimics features skaters look for on city streets, bumps, and a “Euro-gap” which allows a safer environment for air time and flip tricks.

The park is free and open to all from 9 a.m. to dusk each day.

Some information for this post was provided by Tim Kelly

Photos taken by Magdalena Kernan were provided by Tim Kelly:

Photo #1: Tim Kernan of Ocean City skates the bowl of the new Ocean City Skate Park

Photo #2: Jake Dinan, 12, of Ocean City, works on his moves at the new Ocean City Skate Park