The Woodland Park Zoo may get a new neighbor: a 23,000-square-foot skate park that would be constructed on undeveloped land in lower Woodland Park. The much-anticipated site would be accessible to skateboarders from all over the city.
Last week, the Seattle Board of Park Commissioners gathered for a briefing on the proposed recreational facility. During a slide presentation, Parks strategic advisor Susan Golub discussed the need for accommodating skateboarders in Seattle parks.
Her presentation yielded some interesting figures: Skateboarding is the second-fastest-growing sport (55 percent growth in the last five years), female skateboarders make up 22 percent of all skateboarders and one in 10 people under the age of 24 own a skateboard.
Parks Board member Terry Holme acknowledged the importance of the data, saying that youths are the Parks' main priority.
"The statistics are following a pattern: A high percentage of kids own a skateboard," Holme said. "We can't ignore this."
Last year, in response to skate-boarding's increasing popularity, the parks department adopted a Skateboard Park Policy. The policy states that Seattle Parks and Recreation recognizes skateboarding as a popular recreational activity and a legitimate use to be accommodated in the parks system by developing skateparks at selected sites in the city.
A full-service skate park
Holme agrees with many that Seattle is behind the curve when it comes to meeting skateboarding demand, citing baseball fields as an example: "When the demand grows, so does the need for multiple facilities."
Currently, there are only two skate parks in the city: One is at the Seattle Center, and the other is a temporary facility in Ballard that is slated for reconstruction.
Susan Golub emphasized that if the Woodland Skate Park is built, it would become the "first full-service skateboard park in the city," featuring bowls designed for all skill levels, a street-skating course, an elevated viewing area and a possible speed-skating course.
(For those not familiar with the sport, bowls are recessed skating areas shaped like swimming pools. Street skating involves jumping on and over objects that replicate curbs, benches and railings.)
For the proposed North End skate park, project organizers selected a location in Lower Woodland Park, just south of the tennis courts. Golub pointed out that the place was a former storage area for wood chips, with no competing uses for the site.
She also indicated that the noise should be minimal since the residential area would be separated from the skate park by the Lower Woodland athletic fields.
"It's really a good site. It's hard to find a [location] like this," Golub said.
Other reasons for the park's desirability: There are two bus lines serving the park, providing easy access for skateboarders; existing parking and restrooms facilities that could be utilized; and an adjacent service road that would provide access for observation and supervision.
Community members, city team-up
In keeping with the city's policy of seeking public input on project proposals, the parks department convened a 15-member Skateboard Park Advisory Committee to participate in planning the Woodland Skate Park. With the guidance of staff landscape architect Kim Bald-win, the committee developed a preliminary design for the park.
Advisory member Micah Shapiro, 35, was one of the main contributors to the design. He wants to help improve skateboarding opportunities for youths so that they will have a place to go without having to deal with police harassment.
Though he lives on Beacon Hill, Shapiro usually drives to Carnation, Milton or Bainbridge Island to skate. "These towns have had the balls to step up and build world-class skate facilities for their youths," he said.
Like Shapiro, many skateboard supporters hope to see more of these kinds of facilities in Seattle. So far, the project has received letters of support from the Puget Sound Skatepark Association and from Parents for the Ballard Bowl.
Golub emphasized the importance of getting the community involved and has begun neighborhood outreach efforts within the Wallingford community.
Implementation
Golub stressed that without the necessary public support and funding, the park cannot move forward.
The preliminary cost for Phase One construction (14,000 square feet) is estimated at $1 million and includes moving an existing service road, drainage, fencing and the construction of beginner and intermediate bowls.
The money also would be used to hire a permanent staff project manager and a professional skate-park designer.
However, Golub emphasized that the project is still in its early stages, and she "hopes to bring the preliminary budget down" when plans are finalized.
She indicated that organizers have applied for $300,000 in state funding from the Interagency Committee on Outdoor Recreation and have allocated $330,000 from the parks department's 2005-2006 Capital Improvement Program for Lower Woodland Park.
Golub said that the remaining money will come from additional grants and community fund-raising.
Once the money and the necessary support are in place, construction could begin in 2006, with the skate park possibly open for use the following year.
Susan Golub will form a Friends of Lower Woodland Skate Park committee. Anyone interested in becoming involved can contact her at 684-7046.
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