In the News Index

Source: CBS 3 (kyw.com)
Date: September 24, 2003
Byline: AP

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Will LOVE Park Reopen To Skaters?

PHILADELPHIA (AP) City Managing Director Phil Goldsmith said he plans to put together a "working group" of city officials to consider reopening LOVE Park to skateboarders.

But after a meeting with skateboarding activists Tuesday, Goldsmith said he was not prepared to advise Mayor John F. Street to lift an existing skating ban there. He said he still had concerns about funding improvements at the park, formally known as JFK Plaza, and covering maintenance-related costs. An enforcement official to monitor skateboarders at the park was also needed, Goldsmith said.

Job Itkowitz, a skateboarder and member of the Coalition to Free LOVE Park, said his group proposed selling LOVE Park memorabilia and collectibles from an on-site kiosk.

The Street administration has banned skateboarding because it says the activity causes costly damage to the concrete plaza.