HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Major progress has been made on a long-awaited project soon coming to the Rocket City. The final stages of construction are beginning on the next addition to John Hunt Park, an exciting prospect for local skaters.

South Huntsville will shortly be home to a brand new skate park. The project is a tribute to the city’s original Get-A-Way Skate Park that opened in 1979. The new facility is 52,000 square feet and includes custom-made bowls, snake runs, a three-quarter pipe, and a street plaza.

“We hope it will be well received, and we have every reason to believe it will be just from the traffic we are seeing coming by and looking,” said Huntsville Parks and Recreation Director James Gossett.

Gossett said though the concrete has been put in at the skate park, several important infrastructure-based projects have yet to be completed.

“Irrigation’s still going in,” Gossett said. “We’ve got electric still going in, parking lot, curb and gutter, so we’ve got a lot going on there even still.”

An official opening date has not been set yet. Gossett said the city will likely have a better idea of when the park will open to the public by the end of this month.

“I just feel that it’s going to be a great space for a lot of people to come out and just enjoy leaving work at work and all the stresses that come with that, just having a bit of an escape,” said Paul Hunter, the founder of a local skateboarding club.

Hunter is the chapter founder of the Brittle Bones Brigade, a group for adult skateboarders.

“The goal is to create a safe space for everyone who is interested in skating or desires to be a part of this community,” Hunter said.

He said he believes skateboarding is about building relationships and community, a mission for which the city will soon provide a new venue.

“We see the overhead lights, and we’re hopeful as adults with busy schedules that when we’re getting off work or laying our kids down, we can go out and get away and skate under the lights for a couple hours together,” Hunter said.

Hunter said he and others in his group hope the new skate park will be a getaway for skaters of all ages.