The rocket-themed slide at Spring River Park and Zoo, which has been around for decades, will soon get a facelift, according to KOB 4.
The city of Roswell decommissioned the 26-foot metal slide in 2018 because of its deteriorating condition and replaced it with an updated model.
Local artist Josh Berry and former City Council member Jacob Roebuck devised a plan to repurpose the slide into a space-themed sculpture, KOB 4 reported. Berry has a connection to the slide; he grew up in the area and played on it during his trips to the park.
"I spent birthdays there and summers there; my friends and I went there," Berry told KOB 4.
This type of slide was popular from the 1950s through the 1970s. They are no longer produced and less than 10 are left in the U.S.
Berry will repurpose the slide into a rocket sculpture.
"Since they can't slide down it anymore, maybe they can take their kids to it," he said. "And see it and enjoy it and reminisce, and take pictures and selfies, and what have you."
He estimated that it will take approximately 2,500 to 3,000 hours to complete the project.
"So, it will take the good part of a year, full-time, probably 40 hours a week," he said.
The project is a labor of love for Berry, who will not make much money from working on the sculpture.
"I choose to do it because it is so important to me and special to me and such a big part of my history," he said. "And I really don't want it to be lost to a recycling plant."
The city of Roswell allocated $75,000 for the project and voted to relocate the finished sculpture to downtown Roswell.