Ocoee to unveil new Action Sports Park

The city of Ocoee was ready to roll out its first skate park and pump track Wednesday, June 21, on National Go Skateboarding Day, but — due to inclement weather — the grand opening ceremony will now take place at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 28, at Vandergrift Central Park, 560 Flewelling Ave., Ocoee. 

“We wanted to bring a different type of activity besides your normal baseball, basketball, football to the city,” Parks and Recreation Director Mark Johnson said. 

The park’s location at Vandergrift Central Park was the most convenient and logical, because it provides most children with a skate park and pump track where they can ride to without having to cross any major roads. 

The skate park and pump track, according to Johnson, is the first part of a three- to four-year plan designed for the park, which will eventually have picnic tables, pavilions and new restrooms.

The current skate park and pump track currently sits on 10,000 square feet. However, there is a potential addition that will take place in the future that will add an extra 5,000 square feet of skate area for city residents to enjoy.

Part of the idea behind the skate park and pump track construction was to attract more families to the Vandergrift Central Park. 

“We know this is going to bring more families to our park,” Johnson said. “We’ve already got a lot of positive feedback from the community.” 

The Parks and Recreation Department worked directly with American Ramp Company — a company that has developed skate and bike parks in communities for more than 20 years — to develop the design of the park as well as the construction phase of the project. 

“The design phase took about a year, including everything — from the initial discussion to the final design,” Johnson said. “Construction was done in nine weeks.” 

According to the city’s website, the park features “street-style elements including ramps, stairs, rails, grind box, competition-level pump track and wall ride.” 

The total price of the project was $528,000. The Ocoee Action Sports Park is the only skate park and pump track in the area, and it promises to attract visitors from all over the state.