ORANGE PARK – Fifteen years ago, Anjie Palmer 15 years ago revived a derelict skate park tucked in an abject pocket of Orange Park to give her daughter a place to skateboard safely.

It wasn’t easy.

At the time, Palmer said the town council was already considering flattening the town’s only skate park due to security concerns. Its wooden skeleton was prone to disrepair and a tree had fallen in the center. Palmer knew the goal she wanted to achieve was formidable.

‘Ms. Anjie’ of Orange Park Skate Park, as the children fondly call her, still watches over the kids, some of them she’s known for 15 years. She’s watched them, and the skate park, change over that time. She, herself, has grown a deeper tan. The kids have grown into men and women.

The skate park itself has changed as well. Palmer held the grand reopening of the skate park Sept. 23 after four months of construction turned the formerly wooden skate park into a contemporary, authentic street scene.

“They’ve been enjoying it,” said Palmer, who heads Orange Park Patrons, a nonprofit that operates the skate park under a contract with the Town of Orange Park. “There’s a lot to get used to, it’s very different from the other park, so everyone is kind of starting from ground zero, nobody has the advantage, and the guys that skate here every day have to start over.”

At a cost of $395,000, Tampa-based Flores Construction Co. spearheaded renovations to the park, which includes a completely redesigned concrete structure complete with quarter-pipes, banks and rails.

Flores subcontracted Team Payne, an Orlando-based company that specializes in custom skate park design all over the country, a move that got O.P. Skate Park listed on its website – something Palmer hopes will attract new skaters.

“The fact that this park is now on Team Payne’s website, that makes it a national attraction for people who seek out skate parks,” said Sarah Campbell, town clerk. “So we think they’ll be increased use from people around the world because it was designed through Team Payne.”

The bulk of the build out cost came from Clay County, however $35,000 of the funding came from the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program, a competitive state grant program for the improvement of public land or outdoor recreation.

For the 600 skaters that use the park a year, the re-design means fewer scraped knees and Neosporin. The upgrade also includes a new LED lighting system to improve park safety.

“It’s awesome seeing it now,” said Robert Dussing, 22, who has skated at the park for the last 10 years. “It’s come a long, long way. It was fun back then too, but just seeing it progress over the years has been amazing.”

Now, the skate park is looking for local businesses and individuals to support the park through a tile donation. The tiles will be engraved with business names and the size will be based on how high of a tax-deductible donation they receive. The tiles will go around smooth spots along their new storefront and the gardens.

The park hopes to use this money to purchase inventory for their storefront, which once was a ‘hole in the wall,’ but now looks promising. A few boards hang from the back wall above a small glass display case with stickers and equipment. Palmer also stocks local photographer artwork and hopes to stay as local as possible with her offerings.

“I think it just expands on a good thing that was already started. It makes the facility all that more permanent,” Campbell said. “It gives them a storefront so they can sell products now, so I think that’s going to help the park even more.”

Campbell said the improvements give the skate park a new sense of identity and a more permanent spot in the town. Previously, repairs for the wooden fixtures of the park dogged the town and created a safety hazard for the skaters.

Previously, skaters had to sign waivers before skating in the park. Now, the town has changed it so skaters under the age of 16 need only wear a helmet to ride in the park.

“We’re excited about getting more young people involved,” Palmer said. “I think there’s a real need for instructions for the young skaters, especially when you’ve got a park that will accommodate advanced skaters.”

The Orange Park Patrons will host free skateboard clinics. The first of which they’ve scheduled for Oct. 8 at 9 a.m.

The renovations change a great deal about the look of the skate park, but, according to Dussing, the sense of community created from the skate park remains the same, regardless if the half-pipes are made of wood or cement.

“It’s brought a lot of people together, good times,” Dussing said. “Kept a lot of people out of trouble, too. It’s like a family.”