Councilman dares to bring up a return for skateboarding in Love Park
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Mike Cole, 14, of Jenkintown, Pa., performs a kick-flip over a trash can in JFK Plaza, or 'Love Park' as it's known to skateboarders, while tourists pose for a photograph in Philadelphia. (Douglas Bovitt/AP Photo, file)
A Philadelphia City Councilman wants to bring a banned feature back to LOVE Park as part of planned redesign.
Councilman Jim Kenney brought up the “s-word” during this week’s hearing into the future of the parking garage underneath LOVE Park: skateboarding.
“One of the opportunities that we have now on the redesign issue is the ability to bring safely back in a cordoned off area is the aspect of skateboarders again,” Kenney said.
Even though parks and recreation officials said there are areas set aside for skateboarding in other parts of the city, Kenney continued his push to legalize it in the park across the street from City Hall.
“All I am saying is Love Park, whether you love skateboarders or not, I’m too old to do it and don’t understand it all the time, it’s where the international skateboard community wants to be photographed in Philadelphia, at that statue.”
The final plan for the park redesign is still in the discussions stage.
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