A citywide skate-park plan is on the boards for local Seattleites, and it could be affecting your neighborhood next.
A Seattle City Council-appointed task force, along with the Seattle Parks and Recreation board, got together with members of the community on June 17 to complete what was the last in a three-part series of sessions aimed at creating a plan that would lead to the formation of more skate parks throughout the Seattle area.
Site selection, budget options and existing skate facilities were just a few of the many criteria discussed at the meeting, all of which will be taken into consideration and further evaluated during the next set of meetings, scheduled to take place early this fall.
A growing following
According to the task force's calculations, skateboarding - which has become the fastest growing sport in the nation, second to snow-boarding - is said to have an estimated 20,500 followers throughout the Seattle area. Fans of the sport, therefore, say that the two main existing facilities, at Seattle Center and the Ballard Bowl, hardly accommodate this great number.
"We want to create a safe, integrated space for youths and observers, where people can participate in multigenerational support and positive interaction," speaker Laura Weigel said. "Estimates from 2002 show us that approximately three new parks open each week in the U.S. Why not make more in Seattle?" she asked.
Community concerns
Weigel had surveyed North End residents about their concerns of installing a skate park in their neighborhood, and then she visited existing skate parks to assess whether their concerns were valid.
Many were concerned skateboarding would attract crime and drinking or drug use, trash, graffiti and noise. While trash and noise were indeed present, they were comparable to other recreational facilities, such as basketball courts, and Weigel said she found most of the other matters of concern were close to nonexistent and in no way a threat to neighborhood safety.
However, task force members said they understood many Seattle residents' feelings about the loss of green space in favor of concrete, so they are considering different options that may have the potential to please all parties.
"Our standard parks policy is that we will not pit different user groups against each other," said Susanne Friedman, from Seattle Parks and Recreation.
Widening the field
The four categories discussed at the meeting included skate dots, skate spots, district and regional parks - the smallest, "dots," representing concrete terrain such as small elements in parks and along paths, and the largest being the regional parks, which could potentially accommodate 50 to 300 users at one time.
The middle ground would be the district parks, which could hold 13 to 20 users at one time and would be approximately the size of two tennis courts.
The task force has assured the communities that the site-selection process will not include sites that are already used for other active purposes, nor will they be environmentally sensitive areas.
The number and locations of the proposed skate sites will be dependent on equitable distribution throughout the city geographically, the group said.
Even so, the meeting was host to a few complaints from concerned citizens.
Wedgwood resident Kris Fuller is concerned that the larger district parks will occupy too much of the city's limited green space.
"I do support the skate dots, which could be located on school grounds where they won't be taking away from our parks and existing recreational facilities," she said. Her neighborhood also is undertaking its own skate-park project.
A skate-spots supporter and skateboarder, 22-year-old Spencer Hawkins, said, "I think it's great that there is finally the potential for something good to happen for the skateboarders in Seattle. At the moment, Seattle is a pretty bad site for street skating. Installing more elements like the skate dots could be a huge thing for us."
The task force will consider all of the concerns expressed and evaluate a number of existing sites this summer. The group will present their findings at another series of public meetings this fall.
The proposed time plan for presenting the final plan to the city is scheduled to take place in the winter, at which time (if the plan is adopted) communities can either apply for grants or use available park funding.[[In-content Ad]]
