Dyrdek opens new skate spot in Phoenix

GettyDyrdek at a movie premiere in Hollywood in 2011.

PHOENIX -- In conjunction with the third stop of his Street League Skateboarding contest series, to be held Saturday and Sunday in Glendale at the Jobing.com Arena, pro skateboarder and MTV star Rob Dyrdek will be in the Phoenix area Wednesday for the opening of a new $50,000 skatepark.

The more than 10,000-square-foot park is in Laveen just west of Phoenix at Cesar Chavez Park.

It will have a network of five intersecting pathways that spread out over almost an acre of land.

The Rob Dydrek Foundation donated $50,000 for the park's design and construction.

Dydrek advocates for designated "Safe Spot Skate Spot" skateparks across the country. His foundation has opened five such spots in Los Angeles alone since 2009.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press