The St. Mary’s County Board of Commissioners and the Department of Recreation and Parks are pleased to announce the County’s first skatepark, at Nicolet Park in Lexington Park, opened on Saturday, July 12, 2003.
The 12,000 s.f. concrete skatepark is considered a large “street course” with a spine, 9 ft. deep side, 6 ft. deep shallow side, bank walls, pyramid and a double set of stairs with a ledge and rail. The back bowl has varying depths of 6 ft., 7 ft., and 9 ft.
The hours of operation for the remainder of the month of July are weekdays from 2:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and weekends from noon to 8:30 p.m. A fee will be charged for admission to the skatepark. Helmets, safety pads for elbows and knees and wrist/hand guards must be worn at all times while using the facility and will be available for rental in the near future. The skatepark will be operated and supervised by Recreation and Parks’ staff. All patrons must complete and sign a waiver form to enter the facility; skaters under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian sign the form. Skateboarding lessons are also planned for the future.
Work on the remainder of Nicolet Park phase I construction is nearing completion; however, other areas of the park remain closed at this time. A formal Ribbon Cutting Ceremony is tentatively planned for late August. Other phase I improvements include an accessible playground, a water sprayground (to be opened in summer 2004), picnic areas, two restroom buildings, parking and an entrance road.
For more information on the skatepark or the renovation of Nicolet Park, contact Phillip Rollins, Director, Department of Recreation and Parks at (301) 475-4200 ext. 1811. Information on fees, rentals, hours of operation and directions may be obtained from the County website at
http://www.co.saint-marys.md.us/recreate/facilities/skatepark.asp