OGDEN – Nearly one hundred young skateboarders and BMX riders showed up early on opening day at the new Ogden skate park.
The park features 10,000 square feet of ramps, jumps and an imposing looking swimming pool. Skaters remarked that the drop into the deep end was past vertical, essentially a straight drop into concrete.
Initially, skaters were hesitant to drop into the deep end of the pool, but by 10:30 a.m. a few brave attempts were made in the shallow end. By noon there was a polite but frenetic wave of skaters – and a few bike riders – tipping over the edge.
The park project was funded largely by New Hanover County; the county put $265,000 towards the project, funded in part from the sale of about 10.6 acres of Ogden park land to the North Carolina Department of Transportation. That land will be used for the ongoing Military Cutoff extension project.
The park also garnered the attention – and a $25,000 grant – from the Tony Hawk Foundation. Hawk contacted the county Parks and Recreation Department personally, early last year, to deliver news of the grant.
Watch skaters and BMX riders from around the region show off their skills at the new park.
