Public Invited to Select One of Two Designs For New Ovid Hazen Wells Skate Park

Montgomery Parks is inviting the public to select one of two design options proposed for a new skate park at Ovid Hazen Wells Recreational Park in Clarksburg.

The concepts were developed by Los Angeles-based Spohn Ranch Skateparks, a skate park design/build firm, which incorporated feedback from community meetings and survey results from Montgomery Parks’ county-wide skate park study.

“Some preferences were clear so both designs are street/plaza style, incorporating a proper bowl feature,” said Brian Lewandowski, project manager. “The concepts are similar but different enough to provide unique experiences for skateboarders, bikers, in-line skaters and scooterists. We are excited to share these designs with the public and look forward to seeing what everyone decides.”

Please visit the Ovid Hazen Wells Recreational Park project page to learn more about the proposed skate park. The skate park project is expected to be completed and open to the public in spring 2025.

This project is part of a larger initiative to construct five new skate parks. Find out more about the Montgomery Parks’ Skate Park study.

What: Ovid Hazen Wells Skate Park design survey

When: Now – April 5, 2024

How:   Take the online Ovid Hazen Wells Skate Park design survey

History, per Montgomery Parks: Ovid Hazen Wells Recreational Park was donated to The Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) in 1981 by Hattie Wells, in memory of her husband, Ovid Hazen Wells.  The carousel has had a connection to the park and the Wells family since the park was first acquired.

Hattie and Ovid’s nephew Jim operated the 1915-built carousel on the National Mall for many years, until it was purchased by M-NCPPC in 1981 for eventual placement at the newly acquired park.  The original Deed of Conveyance from Hattie Wells to M-NCPPC specifically references her intention to have the carousel placed at the park, stating “at such time as (Ovid Hazen Wells Park) is serving sufficient numbers of park users to justify the placement of a carousel on the property, (the Commission) agrees to relocate the Ovid Hazen Wells carousel to (Ovid Hazen Wells Park) provided that this carousel has not been destroyed by fire, vandalism, act of God or other means.”

The Parks Department placed the carousel at Wheaton Regional Park in the 1980s with the intention that it be relocated to its intended home once Clarksburg and Ovid Hazen Wells Recreational Park were sufficiently developed.  The 1994 Clarksburg Master Plan and later plans for the Clarksburg area all describe the carousel’s intended placement at Ovid Hazen Well Recreational Park upon build-out of the community.

As Clarksburg became established, residents and elected officials representing Clarksburg began to call for the relocation of the carousel to its planned location.  In their testimonies calling for the placement of the carousel, many Clarksburg residents spoke to the appeal of the park and its planned expanded amenities as a contributing factor in their decision to move to Clarksburg.

The Planning Board approved 2015 Facility Plan for the expansion of the Ovid Hazen Wells Active Recreation Area identified the specific location for the carousel within the park’s active recreation area.  Funding for the project includes creation of a roundhouse building to house the carousel, picnic areas, playgrounds, walkways, overlook swings, a skatepark, and additional parking.  The project was added to the Parks Department’s capital improvement program by the Montgomery County Council soon after that 2015 Facility Plan approval, and construction is expected to begin in the coming months.