Babylon town to open renovated skatepark in Copiague after years of delays

After years of delays, the Town of Babylon on Wednesday will officially open a newly-renovated skatepark in Copiague.

Updating the 22-year-old Dr. Pasquale and Marcia Ann Curcio skateboard park at Tanner Park had been on the town’s to-do list for years, said Deputy Supervisor Tony Martinez. The town closed the park for three years in 2010 to make repairs, but its asphalt surfaces continued to corrode.

"The surface of the park had deteriorated to the point where it became unsafe," Martinez said. "The skaters started reaching out to us and said, ‘Look, this is getting a little dangerous.’"

The town hired Los Angeles-based Spohn Ranch as a project consultant in 2023 to help with the design, but construction was delayed until this year because of rising costs and the discovery of drainage problems at the park.

The renovations, completed by Ridge-based Laser Industries, cost $1.68 million and were paid for through capital project funds, Martinez said.

Prefabricated steel-frame ramps were removed and except for some steel rails, the park is now entirely concrete, he said, ensuring it "should last at least 20 years."

Although the park has not been officially opened, the town removed fencing around it weeks ago as impatient skateboarders started showing up.

"They were breaking in, they couldn’t wait," Martinez said. He noted how popular the park is with parents who used the park as teens, now teaching their children and "passing along the tradition."

Martinez credited East Farmingdale resident Chad Caruso with helping guide the town in the design, including the retention of two half-pipes from the old park that were popular with the skating community. Martinez said the town aimed to finish the park in advance of the annual "Tanner Jam" skateboarding contest on Saturday, which Caruso helps organize.

Caruso, 39, is the Guinness Book of World Records holder for skateboarding solo across the country, first in 2023 in 57 days and then breaking his own record this past summer by doing it in 39 days. As a teen, Caruso petitioned the town to build the skatepark and refers to it as his "baby." He said he’s been pressing the town for nearly 10 years to do the renovations.

"People didn’t want to go there because it just felt like you were sinking into the ground," Caruso said. "It almost became exhausting pushing on that ground."

Caruso said it feels "unreal" to see the renovations come to fruition. He said people loved certain obstacles in the park so in helping with the design, he set out to create the "same skate park but just better" so that it "felt like a new Tanner, not a completely different place." He said the park’s more modern design has an appeal to a wider group of not only skateboarders but those who Rollerblade and use BMX bikes.

"This has a lot more features that can help people progress," he said. "It has a really nice flow to it where a bunch of people can be skating numerous things at one time."

Caruso said he’s seen skaters "coming out the woodwork" to try out the new park.

"Skaters love doing tricks that haven’t been done before so everyone is trying to stake their claim at the new park," he said. "Having a new fresh start kind of excites everyone."

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.