OLD ORCHARD BEACH — It’s a dream come true for local skaters.

After years of planning, a new skatepark opened on Ballpark Way this summer. The concrete park features a deep bowl and a flow section with a mini half-pipe.

“People come from states away,” said local skater Eric Santos at a ground breaking ceremony and open house Saturday. Santos was one of the leading forces in efforts to build a new park after the old wood skatepark on E. Emerson Cummings Boulevard deteriorated and was dismantled in 2010 while he was a student at Old Orchard Beach High School. Santos said one of the draws of the new park was the pool coping around the edge of the bowl.

Santos said the park is for skateboards only – no bikes or scooters, as their use can wear on the facility.

Since opening, the new park has been used every day, say local skaters, and they don’t plan on stopping any time soon.

“We want to be shoveling this out in the winter,” said Santos.

Recreation Director Jason Webber said the park cost about $110,000, which came from town funding, grants and local fundraising efforts. Webber said he was grateful for the town’s support, realizing it had a lot of infrastructure needs it had to prioritize.

Webber said the skaters have kept the park clean, picking up trash and letting him know when the trash can needs to be emptied. The skaters, through a local effort they call “board fairies” build skateboards from used parts to give to those who don’t have skateboards.

“It’s a great partnership,” said Webber. “They really take care of the park like its their own.”

Webber said would he like to hold a surf and skate camp in the summer, where participants learn to surf in the morning and skate in the afternoon. Webber said skateboarding has been offered as a school sport in other states, and he would like to some day see it in Old Orchard Beach.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or [email protected].