Almost 25 years ago young skateboarder Jay Wolfington stood before the Flagler Beach City Commission with a petition bearing 460 signatures and told the elected it was high time skateboarders had their own park.
“People hate it when we skate on the boardwalk or the sidewalk, and if we skate at banks or businesses we can get tickets,” he told the commission. It was March 2001. The commission agreed and directed its staff to work on a skateboard park plan.
The city favored Wadsworth Park. The county did not. The county wanted something more centrally located. But it came around: the skateboarders, like the surfers, were clustered in Flagler Beach.
On March 28, 2002, 40 people, most of them skateboarders, according to a report in the News-Journal at the time, gathered at Wadsworth Park for the dedication of the $200,000 skate park (the equivalent of $366,000 in today’s dollars).
Then-Commissioner Jim Darby had trouble cutting the ribbon–just as Commissioner Pam Richardson did today, when Flagler County officials gathered before a much smaller crowd of less than a dozen to rededicate the park, following a $240,000 renovation.
The County Commission had approved the spending exactly a year ago after skaters had asked for improvements to the park, pushing for a concrete facility instead. A concrete venue would be larger, would attract local competitions, and would keep local skaters from traveling north and south to better facilities. But it would also cost somewhere between $1.3 to $1.7 million, commissioners were told last December.
“When we brought it to the board for consideration, the concrete as you recall cost a million dollars-plus, depending on what type of structures we built here,” County Administrator Heidi Petito said today. “We had savings in other capital improvement projects at Wadsworth, so we were able to shift the funding to replace 60 percent of the steel ramps immediately. The board had approved that in lieu of the concrete. So for now, this is what we have. We had to make sure that it was safe and usable.”
Jay Wolfington had again led the charge, along with Steve McKaig–a professional skateboarder–for improvements and a concrete facility, along with Carla Cline, who now runs Flagler Surf and Skate, the shop on South 3rd Street in Flagler Beach.
“We all went to the commission meeting and said, this needs to get repaired,” Cline, who was at the rededication this morning, said. Both of her children skate. “I love skateboarding, and I felt like this was an overlooked need in the community. It’s like, ‘We did it, we’re done, and we don’t have to think about this anymore.’” Through her shop Cline has connected with more skaters. She’s lending her support for a larger facility.
A concrete facility is still the long-term plan. “It’s going to take multiple years to get $1 million, $1.5 million for a bowl,” Commissioner Andy Dance said of a concrete facility. “But there’s plenty of room here. We can do that.” Dance had met with the skateboarding community at the park over a year ago when, as he recalled, they’d been posting pictures and comments on Facebook, pointing out the poor shape of the steel structures. “I had to fight to put it on the budget last year. But the commissioners all supported me, and we got the money funded,” he said.
The county closed the skate park on Dec. 3 to accommodate the reconstruction, and reopened it on Dec. 22. The county also made some repairs to the concrete pad, the chain link fence and the nearby restrooms. “ this facility is the only skate park in Flagler County,” Commissioner Kim Carney said in brief remarks before this morning’s ribbon-cutting. “It is imperative that we that it be maintained and made available to skateboarders for our entire area. This location and proximity to the beach makes it a natural fit for active boarders, skateboarders and surfers.”
Assistant Director of General Services Mark Giblin had overseen the reconstruction. “I know how important these spaces are,” he said. “My own kids use this very skate park and many of our other county parks. I see firsthand the joy, the friendships and the healthy activity these places provide. Parks like this give families a safe environment to play, exercise and spend time together, and that’s why we’re so committed to improving them.”
Commission Chair Leann Pennington applauded the repairs. “It’s important that we prioritize maintenance of our parks and ballfields,” she said. “This year will be discussing some much-needed funding for repairs to our baseball and softball fields as well.”
Back in 2002, children younger than 17 had to register at Flagler Beach City Hall and get a photo ID card for $5. Somewhere along the way the city dropped that rather nannyish requirement.
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