Seattle P.I. – New SeaSk8 Site put on Hold
As usual, no amount of Seattle skatepark progress can be made without stagger. The real problem with these news blurbs, is the way this story is being told by Seattle Center staff, a recent article by the Stranger, and the mainstream press. Every new chapter is written with little or no acknowledgment that the skateboarders have been slogging through this process for over two years now.
The real version of the recent history: We’ve been offered multiple sites, and every offer has been rescinded after considerable a effort was made by skaters to resolve the issues brought up by various stakeholders. These stakeholders, like the EMP and the Space Needle, claim that the skatepark will have a negative impact on the staging of their buildings and the activities therein. However, they never provide a solution, especially not one that fits within the scope of the project as laid out by the PELL Committee: timeliness, accessibility, and a reasonable amount of square footage.
Every time a new site is identified, the proposed skatepark gets smaller and it’s users get further marginalized. Meanwhile time ticks away, and Seattle’s skateboarders still have nowhere to go. It’s starting to feel like the skateboarders are getting rolled on.
—
Article as it appears on the P-I website:
Council tables skatepark plan near Key Arena
The City Council has tabled for two weeks a proposal to build a skate park near KeyArena.
The council Monday had planned to vote on the proposal to build the skate area between the arena and the Seattle Center’s Northwest rooms. The proposal allows the removal of the DuPen Fountain and sculptures, which council members say would be installed elsewhere at the Center.
The topic led to an unusually snippy exchange between council members. Some members worried a skate park would be too rowdy for that area, which they described as a place for “contemplative” respite.
But council member Richard Conlin said that location already is paved with concrete. And member Jan Drago complained a council subcommittee and city officials had already spent “an immense amount of time” determining this was the best option.
Still, member Tom Rasmussen countered that the plan contradicts the city’s original vision for the center. “The fact that this has been a difficult process doesn’t exactly make it the right decision,” he said.
Meanwhile, council members also were envisioning a greener, more open Seattle Center. They laid out broad guidelines for what they’d like to see as the city begins studying options for the Center’s renovation, including more open space, and preserving its historic character even as the city tries to reinvigorate it.
The council also signaled that it would scrutinize any proposal to build additional buildings at the Center, and that it would weigh their financial feasibility.
A city environmental analysis of several options is due late this year. The council said it will begin studying the analysis in January, debate the options in the spring, and approve a final plan next summer. A levy, possibly tied to improvements for the Pike Place Market, could go to voters in November 2008.
