Philadelphia, Pennsylvania * - Before the 2002 * ban on skateboarding there, LOVE Park * attracted skateboarders worldwide. On Tuesday, June 1st as cheering skateboarders watched, DC Shoe Company * of Vista, California * promised that it would donate $100,000 each year for 10 years to pay for "maintenance, security and upkeep" of the park if it was reopened for skateboarders.

At the press conference, DC Shoes * President Ken Block presented a ceremonial check made out to the City of Philadelphia for the purpose of returning skateboarding to LOVE PARK. "Baseball has Wrigley Field. Skateboarding has LOVE Park. It's absolutely irreplaceable."

While widely known as LOVE Park because it is home to the well-known Robert Indiana * sculpture, the park is officially named JFK Plaza and sports low walls, benches and steps that make it an ideal spot for skateboarding. LOVE park has been featured in the popular Tony Hawk Pro Skater * series. LOVE park has also been credited as a reason the X Games were held in Philadelphia in 2001 * and 2002.

Friends of LOVE Park is an organization that has been working on the issue with the city Managing Director's office. According to their spokesperson Andrew Hohns, they are seeking a compromise that would allow people to skateboard in LOVE Park after 3 p.m. on weekdays and all day on the weekends, provide for a monitor to enforce safety rules and prevent skateboarding during times when it is not allowed, and establish a fund to pay for maintenance.

Residents and constituents who want the skateboard sport to be again allowed at LOVE park include City Council members, who have suggested the lack of boarding at the park it is damaging Philadelphia's efforts to attract the all-important youth demographic. Reportedly the city's population has been declining for decades.

But reportedly the 2002 ban was imposed by Mayor John Street, and the mayor's spokeswoman indicated that the city has no intention of allowing skateboarding in Love Park, and does not intend to accept the contributions.

City Controller Jonathan Saidel expressed his objection: "I am disappointed once again in the administration for the lack of vision, the lack of caring." Saidel appeared at the news conference wearing a T-shirt over his business suit that said "Phila. City Government for LOVE Park!"

While city officials had indicated that they were open to the possibility of skateboarding in LOVE park, Grant reportedly said Street would prefer that skateboarding remain outlawed in LOVE park. The city is planning a large skateboarding park at another location on Schuylkill River.

Pro skateboarder Josh Kalis *, who originally moved to Philadelphia to take advantage of LOVE Park but has since moved away since skateboarding was banned, said he misses the park.

"This is where I met the coolest people in the world," he said.

This article was based on information found in "Shoe company donates $1M to reopen LOVE Park to skateboarders" by Michael Rubinkam of Associated Press.

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