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Orem City maintenance crews and volunteers perform cleanup efforts at the Orem Skate Park on Monday Aug. 19. 2024.

Courtesy Aaron Torriente

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A volunteer performs cleanup efforts at the Orem Skate Park on Monday Aug. 19. 2024.

Courtesy Aj Mellor

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The Utah Skatepark Advocacy Group works with Orem City for cleanup at the Orem Skate Park following recent flooding on Monday, Aug. 19. 2024.

Courtesy Aj Mellor

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A child volunteer holds a hose during a cleanup event at the Orem Skate Park on Monday Aug. 19, 2024.

Courtesy Aj Mellor

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Orem City maintenance crews and volunteers perform cleanup efforts at the Orem Skate Park on Monday Aug. 19. 2024.

Courtesy Aaron Torriente

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Utah is known for being a state filled with citizens who are eager to help fill a need when work needs to be done.

After last Tuesday’s rainstorm flooded the Orem Skate Park, leaving the space drenched with water and debris and closed to skaters, the Utah Skatepark Advocacy Group knew something had to be done to get the park re-opened.

The group, headed up by Lehi resident Sean Peterson, worked with Orem City to quickly organize a community cleanup.

According to Peterson, when he contacted the city late last week, officials said they were waiting for the park to dry out and had already planned to have crews go in Monday but were happy to have a helping hand.

In the spirit of collaborating with cities to bridge the gap between the skate community and municipalities, Utah Skatepark Advocacy Group used its social platform @goskateutah to rally around 30 volunteers. Along with Orem City maintenance crews and staff, nearly 50 people took part in the joint effort.

“So they (Orem City) were able to get a tractor down there because there was just so much debris and stuff. The park was under 4 to 6 feet of water at some point, and with that, there was just so much silt and mud kicked onto the concrete and then dried onto the concrete after the water, you know, went away and was drained away,” Peterson said.

Volunteers and city crews worked together to sweep up debris, scraping off caked up mud and dirt from the concrete. They also washed the park down using a fire hydrant hose. “That’s kind of what you see in the video of us, kind of like literally squeegeeing the park and all the mud off the surface,” Peterson explained.

“The flooding last week left tons of debris in the Orem Skate Park, but it was no match for the passionate people in our local skate community,” the city said on its social media accounts. “Led by @goskateutah, a small army of volunteers came out yesterday and got the skate park all cleaned up and ready for action again.”

Orem City also noted that a local family, the Mellors, also participated by providing food for volunteers, bringing hot dogs to make sure the hard-working citizens were fed. “We found out there was a cleanup at the park we visit the most and we just wanted to be a part of it and make it a special experience,” Aj Mellor said in a video posted on Orem City’s Instagram page.

While the cleanup took less than three hours to complete, Peterson and the Utah Skatepark Advocacy Group hope these types of events lead to a connection between skate park enthusiasts and local leaders in Orem and beyond.

“I mean, long term, kind of what we would love to see is, you know, eventually, (is) Orem gets a new skate park in the next few years, and we would kind of help work with them and push that initiative. That’s what we’ve done with a lot of other cities,” Peterson told the Daily Herald.

Since 2021, the group has worked to expand access to skate parks, which involves helping to improve existing parks and helping to get more of them built across the state.

“So, a lot of it’s like educating and helping cities understand skate parks are not going anywhere. In fact, the demand for them is increasing. And so let’s figure out ways to build community, to also activate these areas,” Peterson said.

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