The Channel Street Skatepark in San Pedro is where Antihero’s pro skateboarder Robbie Russo learned how to skate. He like many other locals, misses the community the DIY skate park created.

“This made me who I am. Like you know, I would never be a pro skater or like, be getting skateboards for free or you know like. It’s just crazy,” Russo said.

The park was created and taken care of by locals. But in 2014, the skatepark was closed down to make way for the 110 freeway widening project. As a result, it's now been closed for more than four years.

“When we used to be here there wasn’t no druggies and stuff because we would always regulate and tell them like ‘Hey, don’t be around here doing that,' but, then, when we left and they closed it down, it just got bad,” Russo said.

The park was only supposed to be closed for a year. But Andy Harris, one of the founders of the Channel Street Skatepark and the San Pedro Skatepark Association said he has been working with Los Angeles City Council 15th District Councilman Joe Buscaino’s office to get it reopened.

“I don’t know how much it is going to take for us to get this thing rebuilt. I mean there’s a big section that has been torn out. So it’s really hard to say. Just to get through planning tells me we still have a little bit of time to go,” Harris said.

Buscaino’s office took on this project and contributed to some of the permit costs to reopen the skatepark. Councilman Buscaino said it's not far from reopening.

“We have to do all we can to reverse engineer this structure that was never legal to begin with and that alone has been a heavy-lift,” said Councilman Buscaino.

Russo said he wants the skatepark to reopen so that skateboarders can have a place they can take care of, learn from and treat like their own.

“I want them to have an opportunity to become someone you know and learn at the best skatepark there is and that’s Channel Street,” Russo said.

The park is estimated to open sometime in 2019. Until then, Russo will skate at San Pedro city’s Peck Park, hoping to inspire the next generation.