Here is the official response to the SPAC’s earlier letter, from Parks Superintendent Timothy Gallagher on the Delridge funding situation.  It’s not pretty, but I’m not sure anyone could have made a difference here.  I have to say…  Timothy Gallagher has brought a refreshing sense of transparency to the the process by responding directly to the skaters and doing his best to understand our point of view.  Too bad we have no money now that we have the support we need.

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November 26, 2008

Dear Mr. Barth:

Thank you for writing about the Delridge Skatepark, which Parks and Recreation is developing as an element of our Skatepark Plan Implementation capital project. It was our intention to design this project in 2008 and construct it in 2009.

During budget deliberations, the City found that revenues to the City from real estate excise taxes, which had been earmarked to pay for this work, have been drastically reduced due to the huge reduction in real estate activity. Although we are proceeding with the design work this year, the construction funds were not appropriated in the 2009 capital budget.

Parks regards this budget decision as a delay in the Delridge Skatepark project rather than as a cancellation. We understand the importance of providing facilities that our youth can use to engage in healthy recreational activities. We, too, were very disappointed to have to delay this project, and we still anticipate building it as soon as funding becomes available. We will work hard to make that happen.

Thank you for your continued advocacy on behalf of the skating community.

Sincerely,
Timothy Gallagher
Superintendent, Seattle Parks and Recreation

This Friday December 5th (6pm-10pm…presentation at 8pm) at the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, there will be an art show and presentation on skateable art and creative skatepark design, including an exhibition from five amazing Seattle artists:

• Perri Lynch (SeaSk8 artist)
• Jay Meer (Northwest Skatepark mural pioneer)
• Bryan Busalacchi (Nomadic Skateboards)
• John Wold (Grip Tape Art)
• Brennan Coyle (painted skateboard art)

Along with the art exhibition, there will be a presentation on skateable art and skatepark design by Peter Whitley from Skaters for Public Skateparks, some action-packed skate video that highlights the cutting edge work by Delridge skatepark designers: West Seattle’s own Grindline, as well as a multi-media presentation on the relationship between art, public spaces, and skateboarding by pioneering Northwest skatepark mural artist Jay Meer.

To top it off there will be food, prizes, and opportunities to learn more about the Delridge skatepark project.  We will also be collecting video testimonials for a future project that documents the need for facilities like skateparks in local communities. The funding for the Delridge skatepark’s construction was recently cut out of the annual budget by the City Council, so it’s very important that you stop by and show your support for this project.  This will also be a great opportunity for non-skaters to learn more about the rich culture that surrounds skateparks, and witness some of the amazing works created by the skateboarders in your community.

This letter was sent to the City Council from the SPAC today:

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Dear Esteemed Council Members,

Upon review of the City Council website, it seems that the Seattle Parks and Recreation funding request for construction of the Delridge skatepark may be cut from the budget.  This cut would be a huge setback to the West Seattle community who has already mobilized and provided overwhelming support for the skatepark at the first public design meeting, and initiated planning and community outreach events with the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center to actively program the skatepark.  Of all the various public meetings we have attended for the skatepark planning and siting process, the support shown by the local community is by far the greatest we have witnessed.  Please help keep this momentum and give the West Seattle youth access to this healthy community resource.

We understand that the City of Seattle has a significant budget shortfall and we are empathetic to the difficult job ahead of you.  We understand that budget cuts are necessary and that these cuts will lead to disappointment for some.  However, we do not understand how it makes sense to cut funds for a free, healthy activity for people of all ages, races and genders during a time when folks don’t have a lot of money to spend on other forms of entertainment.  Further, it does not make sense to cut projects that have already been initiated and have a funded design (the Seattle Parks of Recreation Skate Park Advisory Committee [SPAC] used limited available funds from the “skate dot” to fund the design process) and a designer under contract.  If construction funding is cut, the design money, money provided by the City Council solely for the purpose of creating skateable terrain, will be wasted.

The SPAC is very thankful that the Seattle Parks for All Levy passed and included approximately $1.5 million dollars for skateparks over the next six years.  Unfortunately, the Delridge skatepark is not included in the Levy and $1.5 million dollars only funds a small percentage of the potential skateparks identified in the Levy – this is far from a complaint, but is a reality (Lower Woodland Skatepark cost just under $1 million to design and construct).   The Delridge skatepark is the cheapest option for putting another skatepark on the map given the community networking and support is complete (as you know this does not come easy), the design is funded, and the Seattle Parks Department is motivated and onboard to make this project happen.   Alternatively, each of the skatepark projects identified in the Levy will have to undergo the same public and community outreach process we have already completed at Delridge and we have no guarantee that opponents will not hinder these future projects.  The extremely drawn out process and waste of public funds for the Lower Woodland and Seattle Center skateparks should serve as a prime reminder of the power of this opposition.

We know that the budget deficit is due to factors that lie far outside City of Seattle’s control.  But we urge you to remember the progress that has been made to date on this skatepark project and to attempt to find some way to include funding for this project in the 2009 budget.  People from all walks of life in the Delridge community are engaged in the skatepark development process and the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department has responded by showing unprecedented support for this project.  Please give us a chance to finish the good things we have started.  The kids in South and West Seattle deserve better.

Thank you for your consideration of this important issue.

Ryan Barth
Chairperson, Seattle Parks and Recreation Skate Park Advisory Committee (SPAC)

As reported yesterday on the West Seattle Blog, The Delridge skatepark funding is about to get cut out of the budget by the City Council.  As usual, this is a huge blow to skaters in West Seattle, and more potentially bad news for a user group that has seen it’s fair share of disappointments.

The city has a significant budget shortfall largely due to a 30% decrease in property taxes, and it’s looking hard for ways to make up for it.  In times like these, development and acquisitions are often the first things to get shafted, which in general makes sense.  I understand that times are tough, and some difficult decisions need to be made.  But let’s be honest… cutting funds for a free activity for people of all ages during a time when folks don’t have a lot of money to spend on entertainment, seems really short-sighted.

What pisses me off even more, is that skatepark advocates have worked hard to successfully direct a bunch of money into the Seattle Parks Department system, only to have Parks do nothing with it.

For instance, Lower Woodland skatepark was funded via heavy lobbying during the Ballard Bowl debacle, and from a grant that this skatepark advocate personally went to Olympia to ask for.  When the skatepark’s overall size was reduced by Parks in an effort to placate angry Greenlake neighbors, there was over $100K surplus in the skatepark budget on opening day.  Instead of putting in lights, water fountains, or (gasp) paving the path around the park instead of using that pea gravel that gets all over the skate surface, the money just sat unused for so long it has now been earmarked for some other purpose.

Another example is the “skate dot pot”.  This fund was given to the Parks Department by the City Council to build skatedots as outlined by the Citywide Skatepark Plan.  Despite persistent effort made by the SPAC to develop these skatedots, not a single dollar of this money has been spent on skate dots.  The only money that has been used from this fund was a small amount to kick-start the Delridge project, which now looks to be dead in the water.  The only skatedot project that seemed like it might get legs is at John and Summit, a manual pad that Parks mistakenly estimated would cost $10K, is now languishing behind a slow moving Parks effort for months and only seems to even have gotten this far because of constant prodding from skaters.  Every SPAC meeting in the last year has included some discussion with Parks staff about getting the skatedot process going and nothing has happened.

So really…where is the real inefficiency here?  Skaters have been successfully securing funds for Seattle skateparks for a few years now and we’ve built one park.  It’s disheartening to work so hard as an advocate, only to have a lack of action on the execution side toss those hard-earned resources to the wind.  Perhaps we should start taking a close look and find out who is responsible for sitting on large sums of money that were specifically given to them by the City Council to build skateable terrain in this city, only to have those funds squandered and the re-absorbed into some general fund for mowing lawns.  Meanwhile, skatepark projects on the other side of the city can’t get off the ground because of budget cuts?!?  If I was this ineffective at my job I’d be fired, and so would you.

On the positive side, the Parks Levy has passed, which has some funding for skateparks, but not enough for the parks listed in the levy.  The levy funds are really only seed money to be spread over the next 6 years.  The Delridge skatepark process has actually been moving forward nicely with relative Seattle Parks newcomer Kelly Davidson at the helm.  But Delridge is not included in the levy, and looks like it may fall out of funding for the next two years.  The projects in the Levy will also have to undergo the same process that we’ve already begun at Delridge, with great success and overwhelming community support.  In effect, this latest chain of events threatens to set West Seattle skatepark development back another three years, just when we were gaining a genuinely positive momentum that has yet-to-be-seen on a skatepark project in Seattle.

I know we’re living in tough financial times, and that this new development is largely due to factors that lie far outside of the Seattle city government and Parks Department’s ability to make things better.  But things have been so screwed up up to this point that there is no headroom in the system in case of emergency.  What bugs me is that with one hand we’re throwing skatepark money into the fire, and the other hand is begging for more.  I don’t blame anyone for not giving Seattle Parks more money for skateparks when they can’t even spend the bread they’ve been given thus far, especially when there’s a huge budget deficit.

I urge you to write an email to the City Council budget committee today, because time is short.  Explain to them that you feel like we’ve really achieved something special in West Seattle with the Delridge skatepark process, and the community can’t afford to lose this opportunity.  Tell them that we’re engaged in the process, we’ve gained momentum, and that the Parks Department is actually responding to us on this project.  Let’s not throw a wrench into the machine right when it finally seems like it’s working…

Send it to:

Tom Rasmussen

Richard McIver

CC:

Timothy Gallagher

Minutes
Skateboard Park Advisory Committee
November 10, 2008

Committee Members Present: Kim Schwarzkopf, Nancy Chang, Scott Shinn, Ryan Barth, Matthew Lee Johnston

Staff: Susan Golub

Guests: Chris Chambers, Colin Heins, Craig Martin

The meeting began at 7:05 PM
Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a lot to talk about including a rash of bad behavior that’s getting a lot of attention at Lower Woodland, the new Parks Levy and the $1.5M will bring to the skatepark system, and status on Dahl, Delridge, and SeaSk8.

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Skate Park Advisory Committee Meeting Agenda – November 10, 2008

*Meeting will begin @ 7pm sharp*

1.      Approval of Agenda

2.      Public Comments (limited to 2 minutes per individual)

3.      Dahl Playfield Skatepark Update

4.      SeaSk8 Update
a.       Construction Bid Package Status
b.      Construction Timeline
c.       Programming and “Management”

5.      River City Status

6.      Delridge Skatepark Status

7.      Lower Woodland
a.       Recent Behavior Complaints
b.      Biker Conflicts
c.       Netting
d.      Budget Surplus Use

8.      Northgate Redevelopment Update

9.      John and Summit Skate Dot Update

10.  Proposition 2 Skatepark Funds

11.  SLAG Update

Just a quick update on Chad’s condition from Grindline:

“He’s recovering well and doing OK.  Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and emails.”

Just as it started to feel like the city and skaters were communicating, some goofball decided to go and skate-proof the only covered skate spot in Seattle.

It’s clearly a professional job that required some resources.  They even tried to be “artful”.  But as local resident and skateboarding fan Jennifer Keys stated in her email to Councilmember Tom Rasmussen: “I enjoyed the courtesy of the skaters as I walked or rode my bike to work, I enjoyed watching people of all ages skate the spot and was grateful for a mixed art/sport/commuter intersection.”

The loss of the Wall of Death without any attempt to reach out to skaters is unfortunate and unacceptable.  The SPAC is following up with the city to find out more details and try to get some accountability for this loss.

UPDATE:  The SLOG has some more good info on this, but it’s SDOT who is responsible, not Seattle Parks, which is who Dewey Potter represents.

The popular vote may not count when we’re selecting the next President, but in three weeks you’ll be able to vote yes/no on $1.5 million dollars for skateparks in the next 6 years.  This is a huge deal.  Tell your friends, browbeat your neighbors, and register your dead relatives.  Without this levy, we’re going to have a hard time raising money for any future skateparks for a long time.

Dear skaters and skatepark supporters,

The Pro-Parks levy, which has provided various park improvements and 150 new parks throughout Seattle, expires in November and finding money in these tough economic times to continue these park improvements will be difficult without an additional levy. Proposition 2, known as the Parks for All levy, can continue this important funding if passed during the November elections.  The levy has earmarked $1,450,000 specifically for skatepark and skatedot development.  There are no other assured funding opportunities for skateparks, especially of this magnitude.  Given the economic downturn, it is going to be very difficult for the SPAC to lobby additional funds for skateparks out of an already dwindling budget.  Prop 2 is the skaters best opportunity for ensuring more skateparks are built in the near future – period.

I am not saying that you should vote yes just for skateparks.  Rather, I urge to do some research and see what other benefits the levy provides.  In short, the levy would provide a total of $145 million over the course of the parks measure’s six-year life.  There is money for P-patches, sports fields, playgrounds and trails. There are forest and stream restorations, park developments on 66 acres of new reservoir lids and money for acquisitions of more land. There is attention to making the waterfront more publicly accessible. Almost $1 million would complete the remaining phases for the Children’s Play Garden at Colman Playground, designed from the start to offer full accessibility for kids with disabilities.

In summary the following potential skatepark projects (all of which were identified in the Citywide Skate Park Master Plan as priority projects for funding) are identified with total funding at $1,4500,000:

• Jefferson Park District Facility (up to 30,000 sf!)
• Myrtle Skatedot
• Judkins Skatespot
• Roxhill Skatespot

I think it is important to remember that during these tough economic times, the first reaction from city officials is to tighten the purse strings.  However, in this case your dollars will go to additional park space that is one of the only primary FREE recreational, healthy activities to do when you are trying to save money.

Please educate yourself on this important proposition and VOTE YES to provide funding for the broad ranging list of important projects and property acquisitions.

Ryan Barth
Chairperson, Seattle Parks and Recreation Skate Park Advisory Committee

Every Northwest skater knows how important the Orcas Island skatepark is to our culture.  Now it seems that the behavior of a few, and a lack of stewardship has led the local school district down the path of potentially closing the park.

The Orcas park, built by the early Grindline/Dreamland crew, stands as a monument to design/build creativity and skatepark design.  Legendary filmmaker Warren Miller got behind the project, and funded the majority of the construction through his foundation.  The community got behind it, and produced a true destination skatepark that draws skaters from all over the world to one of the most remote and beautiful skateboarding experiences on the planet.

But that remote “destination” quality also gave some skaters the impression they could relax when it comes to respecting the rules.  Helmets are required at Orcas, and several times throughout the years issues and controversy have erupted when skaters refused to comply.  Pro skate teams have always been averse to wearing helmets because some feel they make for lame photos, but two years ago a Seattle skater who was visiting actually disrespected Warren Miller with foul language when he was told by the park’s godfather to strap on a lid.

These types of issues are totally the exception, and most skateparks are self-policed and positive places.  But this is the type of crap that makes it hard for local advocates to get skateparks built in thier own communities.  Seattle skaters need to watch this episode carefully and step back a bit to consider how their behavior can have averse effects on the health of our community.

There are a few things you can do right now to help improve the situation at Orcas, and in your own local skatepark:

• Write a letter, email, or call the Orcas Island School Board and let them know that you are a skateboarder, and that you support them in taking measures to improve the environment at the park, but insist that closing the park is not the solution:

Orcas Island Schools
557 School Road
Eastsound, WA 98245

Administrative Office:
(360) 376-2284

Barbara Kline (Superintendent) bkline@orcas.k12.wa.us

David Mierau (Maintenance Dept. Facilities Director) dmierau@orcas.k12.wa.us

Scott Lancaster ihsscott@rockisland.com

• Take action when you witness behavior at a skatepark that could threaten the positive environment there.  Call BS on people who insist on bringing alcohol into the park.  It can be done in a way that’s respectful, just explain that you want to be able to keep skating there and that we want more parks to be built.  Take ownership of your park… your park will love you for it.
• Form a “Friends of” group for your skatepark.  The City of Seattle has a program that’s pretty easy to enroll in.

Hopefully this wake up call will only result in a heightened awareness of how our behavior in skateparks can either have a positive or negative affect on our ability to enjoy safe and accessible public skateparks.  We’re all ambassadors for skateboarding when we’re in public skateparks.  If you feel it, reach out.  If not, just don’t act like an idiot.