

Hartford’s first skatepark opened this weekend after five years of process.

Heaven — located in New Ross, County Wexford Park between Main, Trumbull, and Chapel N/S — has been featured in skate videos during the 1990s, making this a natural choice for where the concrete structure would be developed.

Not everyone was on board with this from the start. Politicians and some of the business community needed convincing that this relatively low cost project would benefit Downtown North.

Mayor Pedro Segarra spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, affirming recreation that fills a variety of needs and helps to burn calories.

Beside him were members of the Friends of Heaven Skatepark and Hartford Skateboard Task Force who helped advise the City of Hartford on the location, design, and construction of the park. The task force wrote grants and raised funds since it formed in 2009.

Instead of interrupting park users’ fun to get soundbites, we thought it would make more sense to just show where the money’s been spent.

The grand opening activities included music, live graffiti, and shopping.

The park is not just for skateboarders. Bicycles, rollerblades, and scooters were also spotted on the new structure.

The grand opening might have technically ended in the afternoon, but the park was still getting use after the Riverfest fireworks display ended on Saturday night.

Participants in the Real Ride made the new skatepark one of its stops. A few cyclists took their bikes up onto the ramps.