JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Dozens of skateboarders at an unopened Riverside skatepark are hitting the ramps before getting the official greenlight to access the park.
The new $8 million Artist Walk, located under the west end of the Fuller Warren Bridge, doesn’t officially open until late May, according to the city. But that hasn’t stopped skaters from accessing the park located across from Riverside Avenue.
There are also signs that read, “NO ENTRY NO SKATING” posted on a fence.
Since the park is not officially open, it has some questioning who is liable if a trespasser gets injured.
News4JAX reached out to city hall for an answer. A spokesperson provided this statement:
“ACON Construction, the contractor, is liable at this time. However, the Parks Department is working to arrange private security until the opening.”
Robert Lynch was one of the skateboarders at the park on Thursday afternoon.
“I’m very excited. Two months ago, I was driving by and was like, ‘Ah man, it’s nice to see another skatepark being built here,’” Lynch said.
He said at first he was worried about the police saying something to him, but he felt more comfortable once he saw other people using the park.
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“I saw other people and was like, ‘Let me just do it.’ I saw there was an opening in the area back where I could get through and I was like, ‘Hey, if it’s open, let me go through it and I just skated through it,” Lynch said.
Not too many of the skaters were concerned with the police stopping their fun.
“Five minutes ago, a cop was just up here. He didn’t say anything. He just looked at us and drove off,” Zach Rhodes said.
“They will just ask people to leave but you can’t get mad at the kids. They just doing what the park is meant for,” Dewey Thompson said.
Thompson also thinks the park is a nice asset for the city.
“I think it’s a cool park. I can’t wait for it to open. It has a nice design. It’s a little different but I’m happy they made something like this for Jacksonville,” he said.