New York City’s LES park to get major face-lift this March
New York City’s Coleman Oval skate-park, better known as the Lower East Side (LES) Park, will undergo major renovation this March.
The face-lifting of the park will be done with the help of a Gamechangers grant from Architecture for Humanity and Nike that 5boro Skateboards founder Steve Rodriguez won recently.
The grant will be financing the transformation of the LES Park from its current worn-out state with weary obstacles to an advanced skate plaza, complete with a new concrete slab and new innovative obstacles. Gamechangers will also be paying for the addition
of skate-able park benches and tables that will serve to enhance the experience of the riders.
The new obstacles in the park will be designed keeping the varying skill levels and different age groups of riders in mind.
The under-used dog runs and seating area, with no seats as pointed out by Rodriguez, will be utilised to increase the total square footage of the park by 25 percent.
Commenting on the transformation of LES Park, the 5boro Skateboards founder said that despite enjoying one of the best locations in New York City, the park happened to offer worst skating experience.
While being surrounded by plenty of popular street spots and located in close proximity to major sub-way stations and Staten Island ferry, the LES Park could prove to be an ideal spot for skating.
“The best part is that it's under the Manhattan Bridge; it's loud there,” said Rodriguez. “Nobody can complain that the skaters are being too loud. It's the perfect spot.”
However, the condition of the park and the obstacles left much to be desired. Instead of letting what he considers to be a “the worst skate-park in New York in the best location” to go to waste, Rodriguez is using the Gamechangers grant to transform the
park into a place that would truly offer a great experience to the skaters. For the purpose, he has teamed up with California Skate-parks and taken input from the local to come up with the new design.
The renovated LES Park is expected to open on May 1 and will be free, open to public and unsupervised.
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