Skateboarders across Seattle are buzzing about the proposed new skate park to be built in Lower Woodland Park.
Postings from a skateboarding forum on Concretedisciples.com show a wide range of emotions, from excitement to vindication: "I used to play soccer at that field and [would] look over and see the bikes jumping in the dirt and think to myself, 'They should build a skate park here.' I can't believe it's feasible now."
'The perfect place'
The preliminary design features a 23,000-square-foot skate park, which, pending budget approval, could open sometime in 2006.
According to Seattle Parks and Recreation strategic advisor Susan Golub, organizers have applied for $300,000 in state funding from the Interagency Committee on Outdoor Recreation, and the parks departmental budget has allocated $300,000 for the project.
Golub, who has spent the last year researching possible locations for the park, is confident that the monies will be approved and believes that the site is ideal. The proposed location is west of the baseball fields, north of the existing BMX biking area and south of the tennis courts.
"This seems to be the perfect place," Golub said. "It's hard to find a site not already in use, and there will be a strong staff presence here. It's a very active park, and skateboarding will fit in nicely with the other activities already available."
The multitude of activities in the immediate vicinity include baseball, biking, soccer and nearby, legions of joggers and in-line skaters.
Many animal lovers also frequent the area, and Golub said there is no need to worry about the safety of rabbits on "Bunny Hill."
"Those bunnies don't seem to be bothered by activity. My son was playing Little League baseball, and [the rabbits] were just sitting in the outfield watching the action," Golub explained.
Supportive community
Although the organizers won't concentrate on public outreach until the funding has been approved, Golub said that so far the overall response to the skate park has been supportive. She doesn't anticipate parking issues due to increased traffic but added that the parking area by the tennis courts could be upgraded if needed.
Also, she points out that noise will not be an issue for neighbors because the athletic fields serve as a partition between the skate park and the residences in the area.
Kate Martin, a mother of two teenage skateboarders and a Greenwood Parent for Skate Parks, likes the idea of a new skate park in Lower Woodland Park, but she would prefer a different location in the park.
She said the proposed location, near a wooded area, is too isolated; she would prefer a site that is more open, both for the safety of the children and also for the enjoyment of spectators.
"I would like a space that is more visible and closer to a street," she explained. "Let's bring the skate park front and center, where the skaters can be observed by everyone. We need to elevate this sport to the status it deserves."
Additional options needed
Martin, who estimates that there are 25,000 to 30,000 skateboarders in the area, said that Seattle is far behind the curve in building skate parks. "For a city our size, we should have about 20 skate parks," she said.
Golub concurs that the skating community has been underserved, adding that the closure of the Ballard Bowl skate park influenced the decision to explore building a new one.
"We started looking for a site when we thought we might lose the park in Ballard," she said. "Even though the Ballard park will reopen, we wanted to proceed with the Woodland [Park] site as well. We know the skateboarding community has been underserved, and we're trying to provide additional options.
With the Seattle Center skate park slated for relocation and the Ballard park being reconstructed, there aren't many selections for Seattle skaters.
While waiting for the new Woodland skate park to be constructed, Martin's children enjoy the ramp built at their home. The Martin household has become a magnet for neighborhood kids interested in perfecting their techniques or simply observing the action.
"We have a 2-year-old boy who lives next door [who] comes over to watch with a helmet and big old grin on his face," Martin related. "That says it all. It's an appealing activity for all ages."
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