Berkeley Township Skate Park opening up Saturday at Veteran’s Park

(Bonus WOBM YouTube Video)

Bring your helmet and skateboard to Veterans Park in Berkeley Township this Saturday from 11am to 1pm as they re-open a skate park within in a special Grand Opening ceremony.

Berkeley Township Councilam Angelo Guadagno explains that the refurbished skate park will be in the same spot as the previous one and be bigger and better than before.

"We have some six-foot drop ins, a half-pipe and a bowl," said Guadagno.

He says they're also breaking into sections for beginners, intermediate and advanced skaters to partake in skate park levels they will be able to handle and enjoy the most.

Saturday's event will also feature a number of special guest appearances.

"You're going to see a lot of local pros out there as well as BMX, skateboard and scooter riding," said Guadagno. "We have Garrett Byrnes coming, he's a professional BMX rider and we also have Jon Marco Gaydos coming whose a 14-year old from Brick Township and is the number one scooter rider in the country."

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Dozens of skateboard, scooter and bike riders from all over are expected to pack Veterans Park Saturday and even beyond that and all are welcome.

"This park is open to everybody," said Guadagno. "We've had people as far as Delaware and Maryland come to ride in the park."

He adds that the park will be open to skate riders of all kinds including BMX, scooter and skateboard.

With the Grand Re-Opening of the skate park, Guadagno says there's a lot of buzz from the skating community.

"I've had kids who used to skate at the old park send me emails saying 'thank you so much, we have so many great memories here and we're making so many new friends, coming back and meeting those old friends and it's a really special place'."

It took some time and money to build back up again but Guadagno says the $265,000 project was well worth every penny to bring back all the skaters who've longed for its return.

"As early as 8:30 in the morning you'll see some kids and then it just keeps building all day long," said Guadagno. "When the kids get out of school you can have 50,100 or up to 200  kids there all day long and they're enjoying themselves."

Fun aside Guadagno, the council and Mayor Carmen Amato's administration is stressing the importance of safety first in the park.

"We do have the police come by very often and drive through the park," said Guadagno. "Veterans Park also has cameras all over so we can see everything that's going on."

He adds they're also looking to stress the importance of safety by making sure every skater adheres to their rule that they have to wear a helmet at all times.