Community Corner
Moorestown Skatepark Demolished: What's Next?
The David Gentile skatepark—whose name was attached after his mother made a large donation to the park in his memory—was opened in 2002.
Moorestown's David Gentile skatepark has been leveled, more than 10 years after its construction at Wesley Bishop.
The half-pipes and ramps have been reduced to rubble, and an excavator sits in a corner of the park, where local skateboarders once practices ollies and kickflips.
The park was finished in 2002, thanks in large part to a $120,000 donation from David Gentile’s mother, Joan. Gentile, who was paralyzed from the neck down in a football game in 1979, died in 2001 at the age of 36.
The park, which has officially been closed for some time (though skaters often ignored the "No Trespassing" sign), was taken down due to wear and tear, and the fact that continued improvements were becoming too costly.
The outdoor park was Moorestown's only remaining skatepark after the Black Diamond skatepark at Moorestown Mall was demolished to make way for the new Regal theater. Skaters were crushed when Black Diamond closed, and though Miller said the skating community has been mostly quiet regarding David Gentile skatepark, at least one expressed dismay at its removal.
"Moorestown has ignored the skateboarders. We are residents and community members too," one local skater tweeted Monday. "With skateboarding illegal on Maine (sic) Street and with Black Diamond gone and now (David Gentile skatepark) we have nothing."
Residents pleaded with town council in September not to let Gentile's memory be demolished along with the skatepark.
Mayor Stacey Jordan reassured those who spoke up that the Recreation Advisory Committee had been discussing plans for the space once the park was demolished, and that those plans would involve a memorial of some sort.
"He will be remembered," Jordan said. "It's not just going to be like a bench."
Parks and Recreation director Theresa Miller said that's still the plan, but nothing has been decided yet. She said her department is presently focused on getting the Church Street Recreation Center reopened once renovations—which include a new gym floor and offices—are complete.
A grand reopening ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 7, following the Moorestown Lions Club Christmas Parade. The ceremony is open to the public.
However, the recreation center will not be officially reopened until January, to give the department time to get it completely ready, Miller explained.
Are you sad to see the skatepark go? Sound off in the comments below or email rob.scott@patch.com.
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