Heartbreak and frustration as Black Pearl Skate Park closure nears

It was a bittersweet moment for Paige Burkholder and Paxton McCoy walking into the Black Pearl Skate Park on Friday afternoon knowing that it would be one of the last occasions they enjoyed the Grand Harbour facility.

The skate park, one of the largest such outdoor facility in the world, will be closing at the end of the month.

Michael Myles, who runs the non-profit Cayman Islands Skateboard Association that operates the park, confirmed the looming closure.

Disappointing end

Burkholder, 22, said the park holds special meaning for her, as many of her childhood memories were made there.

“Most of the scars on my knees were from the fun times in here,” she said.

Both Burkholder and McCoy recounted spending many of their childhood and adolescent afternoons at the skate park.

“I have been riding my scooter here since I was seven … Every lunchtime we would scooter and skateboard and just run in the skate park and play dodgeball in the bowl … and it was just really fun,” Burkholder said as she recalled spending her breaks at Hope Academy in the park.

McCoy said he could not believe that after all this time, the park will be closed. The facility initially opened in 2005 and, after several stops and starts, has been in operation since 2013.

“Why do they have to take something that’s for the kids and the children of the community out? What’s the reason for it? Is it that much that you really need to just build condos or a plaza here or something? Don’t you think there’s enough development going on? I was hoping [government] would step in,” he said.

Myles also shared McCoy’s hope and reached out to various governments over the years to seek their intervention to save the park.

“It is an iconic park. It’s unfortunate that as a country, we did not maintain it. I felt that our government should have stepped in and purchased this park probably 15 years ago. There’s so many things that we could have done more in this park,” he said.

Myles said he was informed that the park has been sold and was given notice this month that it will be closed at month’s end.

He said he was not told what will happen to the facility, but judging by the surrounding boom of development in the Grand Harbour area, he said it was easy to guess the future of the park.

“This has been really a home away from home for a lot of young people,” he said, adding that it was “disappointing” to see it all go away.

The Grand Harbour Commercial Centre, originally owned by the Bell family, was put up for sale in 2014.

In 2022, Planning granted permission for the Black Pearl Skate Park and the neighbouring defunct water park to be subdivided from the adjacent car park and outdoor bar.

Missed opportunity

Myles said the Bell family had done a tremendous job in building the “phenomenal park”, which has seen many of the world’s best pro skaters drop in over the past two decades.

World-renowned skateboarder Tony Hawk officially opened the park in 2005. The facility also attracted skaters like Shaun White and Bam Margera.

Hawk’s management team declined to comment on the closure.

Myles said he believes the community has missed an opportunity to protect a space for local kids to safely play, as well as the chance to develop potential Olympians.

“We could have done better in putting more money in this. We now have skateboarding as an Olympic sport. We have BMX riding as an Olympic sport. All of those people have come down here and have said this is perhaps the best park in the world to do this sort of stuff. So, that’s the frustrating part is that we miss so many different possibilities,” Myles said.

Skateboarder Philipp Richter agreed that Cayman has lost a training ground with the coming closure of the skate park.

He said the skateboarding community is looking for other places to continue the sport, including a site established in Prospect’s Mariners Cove and in George Town.

He said the community already knew the “writing was on the wall” for the skate park as there has been a steady decline in people using the facility.

“It was also, in a sense, an unsustainable business model, because not really many kids [attended]. It would fluctuate. Sometimes a [family] would throw a birthday party and there would be a lot of scooter kids. But on average, there is not that many people, and not many new blood [skaters] coming in to keep it going,” he said.

Myles said he will be donating the equipment from the skate park and, unfortunately, the Caymanian youth he employed to help manage the park will now have to find alternative employment.

Lack of family-friendly spaces

Myles said the situation is “heart wrenching” as he has put a lot of sweat and tears into keeping the facility alive.

He said he has been doing soul searching about the situation, but he knew it was coming for the last two years.

“I will basically be terminating the [skateboard] association. There’s nothing else for me to do. I believe at the end of the day, my responsibility now is to continue to build Inspire Cayman Training, and hopefully we can do other things where we could give Caymanians opportunity,” he said.

Myles said he is sad to see the facility go, as his kids grew up in the park just like many other Caymanian children, who benefited from the positive outlet.

Marley Myles, his 10-year-old daughter, said she was disappointed that the park was closing.

“There’s a lot of places I could go to skate but not a lot of places that are like this,” she said, adding that she will miss the park.

“There are so many people who love this skate park,” she said, adding, “If you could do something, or just keep it at least, then other people can take care of it.”

Mother Janet Ebanks, together with her husband Shane and son Asher, also uses the skate park on a regular basis, making the trek from their West Bay home to Grand Harbour.

She said she was distressed to hear that the facility was closing.

“I think it’s sad really, because what is there in Cayman for children to do? [It’s] a safe haven that they can come and relax, and express their talents as well ’cause a lot of people have learned to master different jumps with the skateboard and the bicycles and the scooters,” she said.

She said her fear now is that kids will end up on the street and “we’ve already seen results of that by not having a lot of positive things for them to be involved in”.

Ebanks said the skate park offered an avenue for exercise and friendship for kids.

She said rather than sitting at home or scrolling social media, kids were out having fun.

“It’s a sad situation that we’re taking away something again that children can be a part of and be in a safe environment … I just pray that the politicians and those that own this facility will fight for this environment to be kept,” she added.

Cayman student Rufus Davies started a petition in 2022 to save the park, following rumours of its sale and plans for redevelopment. He was disappointed that the skate park is now closing.

“I just think for the community it has been just so beneficial for a lot of people … all ages. It’s such a family-friendly space,” he said, adding that he had hoped with nearly 6,000 signatures to save the park, his petition could have nudged government intervention.

“They could acquire the land and finance it through the government money. I think there’s definitely the capacity there. It’s just the willingness as usual,” he said.

Jonas Watler, 13, who came to the park with his father, said he is not looking forward to the park closing as now it means he may have to skate on the street.

“I am very sad that it is closing down,” he said, adding that it has been a fun place to enjoy skating and relaxing.

Richter urged the community to come out to the skate park this weekend and the next to bid farewell to the iconic space.