Delridge park is likely to be built by non-specialists, because Seattle is broken.

Who would you hire to build your skatepark?

This guy:

…or this guy…

The City of Seattle is BLOWING IT.

It looks like Tom Sahli, and his crew of non-skaters from Kent, is going to get the job because he somehow was able to underbid the job by $70K.  This is instead of a local crew, who actually skates (!!!), has proven that they build a superior product time after time, and lives in the community this park will be built in.

Lower Woodland took forever.  Sahli’s crew had to be babysat by skaters in order to keep them from pouring linear planes instead of gradual transitions.  They would’ve built a bunch of crap just like they have everywhere else had we not been all over them.  When pressed about not being in touch with their product, one guy on the crew started testing the finished pours out by riding a skateboard around on his ass.

Seriously?  This is the best we can do?

Let the City Council Parks Committee know this is a bad move, and that skateparks should be considered specialty projects and exempted from the low bid process.  You wouldn’t hire a guy who mows your lawn to build you a golf course…would you?

Sally Bagshaw
Tom Rasmussen

17 Replies to “Delridge park is likely to be built by non-specialists, because Seattle is broken.”

  1. I didnt have parks to skate when I was a kid, and constantly got kicked out of parking lots and garages for just doing what I was good at (Skateborading). Now im 34 and I have twin boys who have found the joy of skateboarding. In the past few years I have had the oppertunity to skate many parks across the US. Many of them had good intentions. But after “skating” grindlines parks and and trying to maneuver through other parks I always find myself compairing them to the Best! Would SOME ONE PLEASE POST A LIST OF THE TOP TEN PARKS!!!
    Majority of them are Grindline. HUH? Why is that? Why are there so many skatible lines no matter what your Skill level is? Why do skaters come from all over the world to skate these parks? Why do other companies try to copy them? WELL to answer all these questions in 2 words- SKATER BUILT! So rather than rolling over and spewing the same old BS that “something to skate is better than nothing”.
    Why not Focus on building a world class park that everyone can enjoy? Why not spend the Little extra to have it built RIGHT? Yeah sure Deliridge might be short on funds to do it right, But those funds will be made back to the communitty with every extra Sports drink, water, snack, or Tax that will be generated by building a quality park. People will flock to it. Skaters will video it and the word will get spread that this is the best park around! WORLDWIDE INCOME GENORATOR!

  2. This is serious bs just like most are already talking. Its no surprise to me the state doesn’t know cuz the state doesn’t skate. Id like to meet this old fart and ask him what he’s doing, do people in this business get off on what they consider to be art? Cuz that’s what it appears to be, so-called pro design and work by someone with a warped concept and no idea what it means to ride a skateboard. I could make something out of half a dozen wheelbarrows of ‘crete with the help of some friends and we’d have way more fun than if this S.O.B built a 50,000sf park that had no lines.

  3. Seattle has bin behind the times (as far as skateparks goes) for the better part of… well forever. Now that Seattle is finally starting to get it together they want to budget cut. Wow that makes about as much sense as a frog in a microwave. Skateparks are not just measly chunks of concrete they are much much more than just that. Skateboarding is an expressive creative positive art form to the skater. Thats why we all need a clear understanding that budget cutting is going to waste every-bodies money because the skatepark will not be enjoyed to its full potential as it would if it were to be built by someone understanding this expressive creative positive art form giving the park its best chance to be loved used and passed down through generation to generation.

  4. its a Geek but dont freek no one will ever build a bowl or a ramp transition and flow as well as a skater and no one can even come close to a skater that has molded his craft through experience pour after pour.. but i’ve skated so many things that weren’t built for skateboarding and i beleive these things are what built the mind set and ultimate creations that are being layed down today by grindline and any skater thats got the Dial.. its kinda like the student meeting the master dood and getting the secrets therefore opening those doors from the get go. todays skaters that roll on grindline parks, same thing the master has opened the door so go flow and enjoy kids, its burnin for you all..

  5. Hello, please send me an email address for the most relevant city council member. I’m from montana where we hqve plenty grindline and dreamland parks…..incredible works of (very) skateable art. I have lived in seattle, I enjoy woodland park, but obviously not a grindline park. When they were building it, I walked by and asked one of the workers if they’ve done skiateparks before…..he got very butt-hurt and snapped back about alp the parks they’ve built….very strange, bad vibes. Let’s make sure native WA SKATERS build anything planned around seattle. Please send me a city worker’s contact. Thanks

  6. Let’s face facts kiddies, a person who claims to know what transition is and a person who does are like a pinto driving during the day and a Rolls -Royce driving at night. I used to live in the greater Seattle area(kent being my back-yard)and am well learned on all things skate in the upper northwest. I hope my brethren in the rain can figure this one out, but if the guy has underbid by 75k….well you might have got snaked. Keep skating seattle and remember a roof or covered skate-spot are a must. Your friend from sunny so-cal, Ross. ps anyone heard of or know a skater named Steven Coutcher give him this email rossandjer@gmail.com

  7. This is too common of a story. These non-skating park “builders” will take the money and run, leaving the locals with a pile of concrete instead of a proper skatepark. It’s happening all over the country.
    The low-bid thing is a joke — parks awarded under these circumstances never meet budget and then end up costing more to maintain and repair than if they were awarded to a real skatepark builder. Not to mention the park will SUCK if it’s not built by a skater run build team. Skaters know what’s right, non-skaters don’t even know that they don’t know.
    Please fight this.

  8. Here is the crust of the matter, what is a skatepark for—–it is for skaters. I do not agree with going with the lowest bidder on a project that is so permanent. This low bidder guy is not interested in making something that the community can be proud of, he is only interested in cubic feet of concrete. I would say do not build something that will be unskateable. fuck seattle and their bullshit.

  9. I just emailed both the council members, urging them to award the contract to Grindline. And I reminded them I was a registered voter. If they screw the pooch on this one, I will work to have them voted out of office.

  10. Taking Tony’s lead, I too have emailed both council members and I am reaching out to our friends and peers to do the same. Copy my letter below and email Sally and Tom to let them know what we WANT and NEED: sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov and tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov.

    Dear Council Member Sally Bagshaw and Tom Rasmussen,

    I am a 39 year old West Seattle resident and registered voter. I’ve just learned from all the viral social media postings from my friends, industry professionals and stakeholders that you are decision makers in the Delridge Skatepark project.

    Sally, you stated in the City Inside Out Council Edition that you’re biggest concern is “addressing the citizens need” and “what is it that citizens want”. If you really mean that, I hope you read this email in it’s entirety.

    Tom, it sounds like you’re also a strong advocate of the people’s “wants” of our community. I hope you also read this email in it’s entirety.

    1. Please don’t award the project based upon a lower bid. Cheap is not always the best choice, you get what you pay for. Cheap does not last and easy becomes wasteful.

    2. Don’t just build something for the sake of building something. Build it right the first time.

    3. Go for quality, go for success, hire a real contractor that will bring creativity and challenge to this project. This will be the ultimate success of the longevity of this skateboard part.

    I’ve been skateboarding since 1986. I’ve seen the failure of poor skateparks that resulted in kids getting hurt and the municipality being sued. I’ve seen which skateparks thrive and those that go unused. Please please please don’t make these mistakes, give us something that is fun and challenging, something that is creative, something that will last and our community to be proud of.

    Grindline is composed of people that are passionate about making a good skateparks. Check our their history, credentials, and their success of providing what skateboarders WANT and NEED in a skatepark.

    My voice represents hundreds and thousands of “old school” skateboarders in our community (Seattle and beyond) that want the best for our kids and the future youth of our community who want to enjoy the creative landscape of skateboarding. We would be totally disappointed and disillusioned about your commitment of what WE want and what WE need if you base your decision on a quick fix.

    Check out the vast amount of chatter on the social medial channels (Facebook, Twitter, blogs) and take a moment to really hear what the CITIZENS want and need. We are all reaching out to you to represent the real voice of SKATEBOARDERS. Both of you are very smart, you appear very genuine, and you’re vision for our city is inspiring. We all hope to be your current and future supporters.

    Thank you for your time. Please feel free to contact me directly for further insight and guidance. I’d be happy to volunteer my time and labor, this cause is important for me and our community.

    “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

    Jai Suh

  11. Just got a reply from one of the council memebers Here is what she had to say.

    Hi Mike,

    Thanks for email regarding the Delridge Skatepark. I appreciate what our skateparks are offering to our neighborhoods and communities, and I am glad we are making progress. While I chair the Parks & Seattle Center Committee for the Seattle City Council, all project planning is done under the guidance of Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams and his staff.

    You may already know that the project will be going through a re-bid process and will now likely happen in 2011. Here’s the latest information I’ve received from Kevin Stoops of Seattle Parks & Recreation:

    “Earlier today (October 13) we decided to reject all bids for the Delridge Skatepark and rebid this project later this year or early next year for mid-2011 construction.

    This decision has been reached after a review of the very restrictive supplemental bidder qualifications that were issued by addendum to the original project requirements. These focused on volume of work rather than specific construction requirements to complete the work, and are unnecessarily restrictive. the project will be re-bid with clearer contractor qualification requirements outlined in the construction documents. The design of the skatepark will not be changed.

    Further, issuance of a construction contract involving excavation and concrete work at this time of year will be problematic as we are now ready to enter a wet, rainy period for some time. The construction window for such concrete work is already rapidly coming to an end for 2010 and an extremely wet winter is forecast. Starting construction in the face of such would likely lead to unintended site costs due to wet conditions.”

    Thank you, Mike, for your attention to the matter. Collectively, we should always strive to get the very most from the investments the City makes, and a quality skatepark should be the end result.

    Best,

    Councilmember Sally Bagshaw

    Chair, Parks and Seattle Center Committee

    sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov

    (206) 684-8801

    SO IT LOOKS LIKE SHE CONVIENANTLY FORGOT TO ADD LINKS AND CONTACT # TO Parks Superintendent Christopher Williams and his staff.

  12. i’d pick the first guy actually because you shouldn’t underestimate…i’ve seen his work and its damned good, thanks : )

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