SALISBURY, Md. -- Small divots in the pavement at the Salisbury Skate Park are expected to be repaired within the next couple of weeks. This comes after city officials recently became aware of the issue through a TikTok video.
While the damaged areas may not appear severe at first glance, skaters who use the park regularly say the divots can pose a real safety concern if riders hit them at the wrong angle or speed.
That concern was brought to life when we asked Wes, one of the skaters at the Salisbury Skate Park on Tuesday, if he was willing to ride over one.
"Oh snap, bro, that’s horrible," Wes said right after skating over one of the divots.
He said the damage can become dangerous if someone fails to avoid it.
“Yeah, it’s definitely kind of scary, like, if you hit it, you could break something, you could fall, you could break your board,” he said.
According to city officials, the issue had not previously been reported to Salisbury leadership, and officials estimate the divots have gone untouched for nearly a year. That changed when Salisbury City Councilwoman Michele Gregory came across a TikTok video highlighting the problem areas.
"It was just pure luck and happenstance because TikTok is not an app where it really gears towards local people seeing local things," Gregory said.
At the skate park, the divots are easy to miss at a quick glance. Luckily, someone who's not affiliated with the city spray-painted green circles around each divot to make them easier to spot, and skaters say they have learned to navigate around them during their runs.
Gregory said the city was not intentionally ignoring the issue and stressed that officials were simply unaware that the damage existed.
Now that the city knows about the problem, Gregory said repairs should happen within the next few weeks.
"Hopefully, we will have it done sooner rather than later," she said.
In addition to repairing the divots, Gregory said Salisbury officials are also looking into implementing more regular inspections of the skate park to help identify maintenance concerns before they become larger problems.
Gregory also encouraged residents to report issues directly through the city’s website rather than relying on social media posts to get officials’ attention.
She said TikTok helped bring attention to the skate park damage this time, but emphasized it is not the most efficient way to alert the city about public safety or maintenance concerns.
