Tired of being harassed by the police for riding your skateboard in the McDonald’s parking lot?

Well, the DeKalb Park District feels your pain, and that’s why it’s building a skate park about two miles from campus.

The skate park will be located in Katz Park, which is located on Dresser Road less than one mile east of Normal Road. The park will be built at the east end of the parking lot.

Construction will begin in mid-July, said David Emanuelson, DeKalb Park District executive director. The park is expected to be finished before school starts in late August.

“[It’s] away from the neighborhood, so it won’t annoy anybody,” Emanuelson said.

The park also will fall under the jurisdiction of the DeKalb County police, so city cops shouldn’t be bothered much either.

Instead of the typical wood construction, the park will be made entirely out of concrete poured over shaped soil. This method of ramp construction will be done mostly “in house” by park district employees and a committee of community kids who volunteered to help see the project through.

The concrete ramps, as apposed to the wooden ones, are said to produce a smoother and faster ride for the skater, with far fewer splinters.

The park will be strictly “skate at your own risk” and will cost about $60,000.

The dream of having a skate park in DeKalb began in March, when Emanuelson put out a call to find people interested in helping out. Once interest began to grow and funds were collected, those involved took tours of skate parks in other towns and cities to accumulate ideas, which led to the enactment of the project.