City council takes step towards removing fences around finished Riverside skate park

Construction on a brand-new skate park in Riverside is done but remains fenced off for now.

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“I’ve been looking at it since November. I wanted it open in November. I’m very excited for it to open up,” Aron Elkaim, the owner of Riverside Park Place, said.

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He purchased the office building next door partially because of the Artist Walk Skate Park under the Fuller Warren Bridge.

“I saw the opportunity to connect my building with the Fuller Warren Bridge and create a walkway for people to enjoy the skate park,” he explained.

Construction on the skate park has been done since June, however, is still fenced off and closed to skaters despite some still hopping the fence.

ORIGINAL STORY: New ‘Artist Walk,’ skate park to be built under Fuller Warren Bridge in Jacksonville

The land is actually owned by FDOT and requires a lease agreement. A city representative said they were waiting on approval from the Federal Highway Administration, which was signed off on in the last few weeks.

On Tuesday, council members unanimously approved a 30-year agreement with FDOT to use the space. An FDOT representative said once it’s verified, it will work with the city on a formal opening ceremony.  The city said that could happen in early August.

“We wanted to keep things moving, to be ready to open once all the authorizations were in place,” a city representative said. They made note that the overall Artist Walk project is still under construction.

The more than $8 million project broke ground in July last year.

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