BS2 skate park group still active & using park

The Berkeley Springs Bike and Skate Park group (BS2) is still active and using the Harmison Field skate park, said coordinator Brenda Oliver. Members have plans to add more park features.

It’s been hard to get to the skate park to work on it because it’s either been severe heat or severe storms, Oliver said.

As soon as the weather cools off in the fall, they have material to build a stage that will double as a ramp for younger kids. They also want to build some smaller ramps with the $800 they have left from money they raised.

Berkeley Springs Bike and Skate (BS2) members and volunteers built a $1,000 Fun Box last November. The Fun Box is a combined ramp and rail for skateboarding and biking.

Didn’t lock gate
Oliver said the group did not buy the padlock that was on the skate park gate or lock the gate. The new padlock was bought by the county. The gate is now unlocked. Morgan County Parks & Recreation unlocked the county parks for public use.

Former acting director Bruce Beadenkopf had previously bought two combination locks for the skate park. The combination was given to only their kids and people they trusted, she said. Oliver has concerns about leaving the park unlocked.

Oliver said parking is also a concern for when they have big events. At last year’s fundraiser, they parked vehicles in the park’s grassy area. A pole set in concrete was recently installed in the middle of the gate so vehicles can’t get into the park.

Trailer issues
Oliver said they held meetings in the trailer over the winter and in the spring. Without electric power or air conditioning, the trailer is too hot for meetings. On July 26, the heat index was 105 degrees, she noted. The stair deck also hadn’t been hooked up after the trailer’s move so it was hard to get into it, Oliver said.

Parks & Recreation had promised to install electric to the trailer this spring, but there’s no power yet, she said. A concession stand had been discussed. The trailer still needs to be leveled from its move to the back of the park.

The original sign that had park rules and contact information deteriorated in the weather and was taken down, Oliver said. They hoped the park would get an official park sign.

Need a place to go
Around 15 or 20 kids use the skate park on a regular basis, she said. Some come from Cumberland and Martinsburg because they have nothing there. Oliver got a phone call from a boy who was visiting a relative in Warfordsburg. He had heard about the skate park and wanted to use it.

She said some local members drive to Cleveland in the winter to use indoor skate park facilities. This past winter was mild so they were able to use the Harmison Field facility.

“The kids need some place to go,” Oliver said.

Oliver said she will continue to work with the skate park to keep the project moving forward. They plan a fall raffle of a skateboard deck.

No vehicles on asphalt
Morgan County Commissioner Stacy Dugan said she had county maintenance install the concrete pole in the middle of the skate park gate so vehicles couldn’t get onto the asphalt and damage it.

The asphalting had cost a lot of money and was thin and the weight of vehicles would crack it.
There is also a pole set in concrete at the entrance of North Berkeley Community Park to keep vehicles out and protect the park, she noted.