The City broke ground on the new JFK Plaza/LOVE Park construction, which is scheduled to begin in Spring 2016, but Mayor Jim Kenney is giving skateboarders the last goodbye.

In recognition of the park's iconic skateboarding status, Kenney is lifting a long-held skateboarding board and authorizing skaters to use the park for a few more days until its closure on February 15.

“I invite all skateboarders who have ever enjoyed recreating here to take advantage of this opportunity,” Kenney said. “You are a part of our community and a part of the fabric of LOVE Park.”

The skateboarding ban has a long history in Philadelphia. In 2000, then-councilman Michael Nutter proposed a bill to make skating illegal on most public property, with LOVE Park listed specifically by name. City Council passed the bill, but the new rules were only lightly enforced. It wasn't until 2002, after LOVE Park underwent some costly construction, that police began enforcing a $300 fine in what was once Philadelphia's skateboard mecca.

Flanked by other city officials, Kenney added on Wednesday that the granite from LOVE Park will be donated to Franklin’s Paine Skatepark Fund, and used to build new parks across the city.

Here's what else you need to know about the closure and renovation of LOVE Park:

• Robert Indiana’s famous LOVE sculpture will be temporarily relocated to Dilworth Plaza, and reinstalled in its original location after construction is completed.
• The Welcome Center, a.k.a. "the saucer," located on the southwest corner of the park, will also undergo renovation. The building's recognizable architecture will not be dramatically altered, according to city officials. Plans are install some new lighting and frameless glass windows. Upon reopening, the center is expected to become "a premier dining destination and a source of earned revenue for the park."
• The total budget for both the LOVE Park and Welcome Center renovation is $19.7 million.
• Details about the new design and the process that brought it about can be read over at PlanPhilly.