Skaters rejoiced at the opening of the much-anticipated skateboard park in Norwood’s Williamsbridge Oval Park, a project many agreed had been a long time coming.

Mitchell Silver, Commissioner for the New York City Department of Parks, led a ribbon cutting ceremony that included skaters who had advocated for the park from its very beginning.

Even before the park was ceremoniously opened on Aug. 27, skaters were already found zipping and speeding along the park’s concrete slabs. Silver, reading off a list, said the park includes quarter pipes, half bowls, and a manual pad.

“I have no idea what I just described, but I’m sure it’s here in this park,” joked Silver, in his opening remarks.

The completion of the skateboard park ends years of false starts and delays for a project valued at close to $1 million. Eusebio Baez, 29, a skateboarder who saw the project through from the beginning, remembered heading to Councilman Andrew Cohen’s office to finally get the project off the ground. Cohen earmarked $750,000 towards the project in July 2014 with Mayor Bill de Blasio throwing in another $227,000.

The genesis of the project began even before Cohen’s tenure, dating back to 2004 when skateboarders had attended a Community Board 7’s Parks Committee meeting demanding such an amenity be built.

“This is more than a dream come true,” said Baez, who eventually helped advise in the design phase of the project.

The plan was initially pitched to Cohen’s predecessor, Oliver Koppell, but when interest for the skateboard park fell in favor of a dog run, the project stalled.

“I’m sure those youngsters today are parents,” said Barbara Stronczer, chair of Community Board 7’s Parks Committee. “We heard nothing more about it for years.”

Doug Condit, a community activist, would reignite the project once again, bringing a contingent of skateboarders to Cohen’s office. It eventually became the first project Cohen would allocate funds toward. Condit, who was present at the ribbon cutting, was praised by Friends of Williamsbridge Oval Park activist, Betty Diana Arce, for serving as a mentor to the persistent skateboarders.

“You ask, why a skateboard park in the Oval? Well, we’re out here in the Bronx, which I’m not sure whether you people know it or not, it’s the least healthy county in the entire state of New York,” said Condit in his remarks. “The kids need activity. Young people need activity, and there’s no people to get it, in my opinion, than right here in the Oval.”

But the project stalled significantly, particularly during the procurement phase where the first contractor chosen bowed out of the project, causing the Parks Department to re-start that phase.

Towards the tail end of construction, another snag: an unreliable concrete job. Crews with L C Construction Consulting Corp. were forced to dig up a portion of the skateboard park to fix it, pushing the completion date from winter to summer this year.

“It’s rare that we now have a project delayed,” said Silver, adding that the agency has learned from its past mistakes. “So, a lot of our skate parks, if you check our website, they’re all on time, on budget moving forward.”

Cohen had previously knocked the process. This time, he reserved criticism of the process, thanking the community for their advocacy instead.

“The community was involved every step of the way in making this project happen, and it’s really just when things really come together that we get an amenity that the community really wants, designed by the community, advocated for by the community, and I’m very thrilled and gratified that I [had] an opportunity to bring this to fruition,” said Cohen.