Ironically, the coolest skatepark opening poster I’ve seen Seattle Parks send out looks like it was done with a Sharpie by someone who needs a ruler.

The New Line / Hardcore Shotcrete (ARC) park has been open for a while now, but Parks is christening our newest  skatespot with some free food, lessons, and helmet fitting for the kiddies.  Thanks to SnoCon and SLAG for once again picking up the slack and making events like this actually happen.

The details:  June 24th, 4pm-6pm @ 7700 25th Ave NE.

In case you missed it in yesterday’s paper, The Seattle times published a decent article on park etiquette.

It accompanied a less-interesting “best parks” list, which isn’t awful, but this kind of thing can be quite subjective.

Based on my count there were three skaters at the meeting.  We have over $1M in the budget for a killer skatepark, and almost no one showed up to weigh in on the design.  I guess everyone just trusts Grindline and the Parks Department so much that they don’t need to participate.  If you would like to let Grindline know what you think, you can log in to the forum here (password: jefferson2010).

Based on the feedback in Grindline’s forums (password: jefferson2010), it’s pretty much a toss-up between the snake run/street plaza combo (44.71%) and the “big bowl” idea (50.59%).  They managed to get 85 votes, which is surprising due to the fact that the forum is password protected.  It should be interesting to see what Grindline brings to the table tomorrow night as a result of the vote, the feedback, and their own internal design process.

This will likely be the last big skatepark project built in Seattle for a while due to the continuing Seattle Parks budget shenanigans.

The meeting is at 6pm, at the Jefferson Park Community Center (3801 Beacon Ave S, Seattle, WA 98108).

I had to look up what Giant Magnet was.  Their website says: “Giant Magnet is a celebration of world cultures through the performing arts. Its mission is to provide cultural experiences, education and exchange for the children and families of the Pacific Northwest region.”  That sounds cool with me, especially since they’re adding skateboarding to the festivities this year.

Once again, Skate Like a Girl has done a fantastic job organizing the action, with the help of the cream of Seattle’s skate industry crop.  The one thing that’s been coming out of a lot of these events is a willingness for competing skate-related businesses to work together to sponsor events.  It’s nice to see people putting business competition aside to help the skate community.

Anyway, the event sounds fun, super family-friendly, and as always will be a good time.  Go check it out @ SeaSk8, this Saturday starting at noon.

(via Skate Like A Girl)

I guess this is what I get for being sick and missing the meeting.  I had no idea this forum existed.  Sorry for the late word on this.

The feedback has been good so far, and the locals have been participating which is great.  Grindline has posted three options for overall site layout.  Please log on to the Grindline forum, enter the password ‘jefferson2010′, and vote for the option you think works best for you and the overall Seattle skatepark system.  Then make sure to attend the next meeting on Wednesday, May 26th at 6pm, at the Jefferson Park Community Center (3801 Beacon Ave S, Seattle, WA 98108).

Just a reminder that there’s a SPAC meeting tonight.  The agenda is below:

Skate Park Advisory Committee Meeting Agenda – May 10, 2010

*Meeting will begin @ 7pm sharp*

1. Approval of Agenda

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

3. Delridge Skatepark Update

4. Dahl Playfield Skate Dot Update

5. SeaSk8 Skatepark Update

6. River City Skatepark Update

7. Lower Woodland Update and Application for Lights

8. Northgate Redevelopment Update

9. John and Summit and 9th Avenue NW Skate Dot Update

10. Jefferson Park Skatepark Update

11. Sandel Playfield Miniramp

12. Maple Leaf Skatepark

13. Lake City Skatespot

14. SLAG Update

Technically it’s Ocho De Margo, but when it comes to supporting the best thing going in Seattle DIY it doesn’t matter what it is.  You need to be there.

Lots of food, great people, music, and yes…skateboarding.

If you haven’t been down there in a while, you should check it out.  There are some exciting new developments taking shape underneath the highway.

If you can’t make it, you can always donate by using PayPal.

This just in…

The scuttlebutt is that he quit, and that there are rumblings of the creation of a Metropolitan Park District that’s lorded over by the City Council, and not the Mayor.  More on this later, but there seems to be much upheaval in the world of Seattle Parks at the moment.

Here’s the ex-Supe’s resignation letter that says a bunch of stuff about staff education, and sums up his resignation as, in essence…”our goals do not align”.  But more importantly, he sounds an alarm about the sustainability and maintenance of the parks we already have which is something that the SPAC has seen first hand.

Thanks for the skateparks Tim!

—–

To:                          Mayor Mike McGinn

Council President Richard Conlin and Seattle City Council

From:                    Tim Gallagher, Superintendent Parks & Recreation

Subject:               Letter of Resignation

Effective May 10, 2010 I will resign my position as Superintendent of Parks and Recreation for the City of Seattle.

When I decided to return to work in 2007 my decision was based not only on the opportunity to manage one of the great park systems within the United States but my continued concerns with the issues of environmental sustainability and obesity, especially with the long-term health effects towards children.   During my time with Seattle I have made those issues a primary effort and one that was recognized by the Seattle public as important.

Further, I worked to develop an organization with a culture of learning and one that placed a value on the systems greatest resource, its employees.  I worked to develop and encourage a learning environment within the organization, bringing in new ideas and concepts and tracking the trends and developments in the field, not only in the United States but world-wide.  Further, I made an effort to reach out to the public as was evident by my 200 plus after hour public meetings each year.

As with many professions, continuing education is important to not only the sustainability of the profession but the requirement to be up to date.  Recently the department sent nearly three dozen employees to the annual Washington Parks and Recreation Society’s annual conference.  This is but one example of the many learning experiences and continuing education opportunities that the employees  have been provided  to attend during my term  with the City.  The investment in the employees has many positive outcomes, including, but not limited to the development of staff and delivery of services to the public.

I will stand by my efforts to develop this learning environment within the department not just as it relates to the employees but more importantly as it relates to the long-term sustainability of the department.  Clearly, the subject of long-term sustainability is one that must be addressed in the next year.  Voter approval of several recent levys shows  the tremendous public support for parks and recreation, unfortunately operation and maintenance resources have not been provided to the department to match the public’s request.  The result is a park and recreation system that is now unsustainable and in jeopardy of collapse.

Unfortunately, the press has decided to focus on other matters and not the real story, the upcoming collapse of a truly great park system.  With the reality of the direction of the focus, I believe it is best for me to step aside to allow the press to concentrate on the real issue at hand, the sustainability of the park and recreation system for the City of Seattle.

Over the past several months we have suggested several avenues to develop a level of sustainability, from elimination of lines of business, to asking the voters to decide on new revenue to support the current system.  My hope is that all elected officials step forward and fully evaluate the opportunities at hand.

Sincerely,

Tim Gallagher

Well…that was nice while it lasted.

Timothy Gallagher was a breath of fresh air from the skateboarder’s perspective.  He understood the importance of skateboarding in the overall park system, and he went about the business of building skateparks in a surprisingly non-political way.  I haven’t heard the details on his departure, but it could be a clear indication that the new Mayor and the Superintendent weren’t seeing eye-to-eye.  Which, if true, is also scary.

Mr. Williams, Gallagher’s Deputy Superintendent, has been to a few SPAC meetings, and while he has never really engaged directly with skateboarders on a project, has been openly supportive of skateparks in the past.  However, the reality is that he is “a product of the Seattle Parks and Recreation system” in more ways than just growing up playing sports on the public fields.  He’s been an important and high-ranking member of the system that until Gallagher, tried to remove the Ballard Bowl from the Seattle landscape, and stonewalled skateboarders with “process” for years before building a single new park.

The nice thing about Timothy Gallagher was that he was an outsider who brought an awareness from the outside world (aka: California) into the myopic Seattle Parks system.  He also understood that consensus building only went so far, and at some point you needed to make a decision and act on it.  We’ll give Superintendent Williams the benefit of the doubt, because that’s how we slide, but everyone should be on the lookout for the familiar shenanigans of the Ken Bounds era.  Hopefully he was inspired by Gallagher’s fresh approach and continues to forge ahead in that direction while bringing some new things to the table that get us to an even better place.

Here’s the official press release:

News

For Immediate Release                                                          Contact: Mark Matassa

April 28, 2010                                                                          Tel: (206) 233-2655

Mobile: (206) 604-4072

Christopher Williams named Acting Parks Superintendent

Mayor McGinn appoints department veteran to lead through budget crisis

SEATTLE – Mayor Mike McGinn today named Christopher Williams as Acting Superintendent of Seattle Parks and Recreation, following the resignation on Monday of Superintendent Timothy Gallagher.

Williams, a Parks and Recreation employee for nearly 20 years and the deputy superintendent under Gallagher, will take over management of the department immediately, Mayor McGinn said.

“Like the rest of City government, the Parks Department is facing serious budget challenges. Christopher Williams has been working with my office to address them over the past few weeks, and I’m pleased to have his experience, dedication and management expertise at the helm as we find ways to preserve our excellent parks services,” the mayor said.

Mayor McGinn and Williams both said they were interested in finding budget savings or exploring revenue options that would minimize reductions in Parks and Recreation programs or services.

The mayor and his budget office directed Williams to provide management plans for three potential scenarios, given the city’s budget:

·         A Parks system that maintains the current array of services and obligations

·         A Parks system that includes a mix of service reductions or program eliminations in order to operate within the City’s current funding constraints

·         A Parks system that meets current obligations, including maintenance and operations, and allows Seattle to realize the system’s full potential (use of existing facilities and those expected to come online with the Parks Levy).

Williams, who has worked for the Parks Department since 1992 “in almost every role from safety officer to interim superintendent,” said he was thrilled to receive the appointment after such a long tenure with the city.

“I’m a product of the Parks and Recreation system,” Williams said. “Growing up in Seattle, I played on the athletic fields, participated in the programs. My kid played in the youth basketball program. I’ve seen that Parks and Recreation is the first line of opportunity for vulnerable, disadvantaged people. It can help socialize at-risk youth. It shows the value of community, and the value of volunteerism.”

Williams, 46, was born in Seattle and graduated from Chief Sealth High School. He received an undergraduate business degree from Columbia University, and a master’s degree from Seattle University.