Construction is expected to begin this year and a late fall 2018 opening is possible; though it may be pushed into spring 2019, according to city spokesman Marie-Pier Paquette-Séguin. Read the rest of the article here.

Philadelphia’s homeless population, who came to congregate at Love. Property values dropped and, for a while, the city bemoaned the park as derelict and dangerous. But once skateboarders started arriving on the scene in the early 90s, things started to change.” According to Howell: “Skateboarders made it seem safe again. As [Philadelphia skate legend] Ricky Oyola put it, ‘If these little kids aren’t scared, why should I be scared; I’m a 30-year-old man coming home from work.’ Once it’s safe for young skaters, it’s safe for young male office workers. Once it’s safe for male office workers, it becomes safer for female office workers, then for older folks, and so on.” Read the rest of the article here.

“As a result, he said they are awaiting skate park design specifications from the IOC before going ahead with construction, which has been halted on the site, near the intersection of Pie-IX Blvd. and Sherbrooke St.”  Read the rest of the article here.

But critics say the skateboarders are damaging public property. Long black smudge marks on the edges of stone slabs are a tell-tale sign of grinding — when skaters slide their boards over straight flat surfaces. Read the rest of the article here.