SPAC Meeting Minutes: July 14th

Minutes
Skateboard Park Advisory Committee
July 14, 2008

Committee Members Present: Ryan Barth, Dan Hughes, Kim Schwarzkopf, Scott Shinn
Guests: Susan Golub, Kelly Davidson
Public: Craig Martin, Tony Davies, Adrienne Schofhauser – Sports Northwest, Perri Lynch, Steven Fox, Kate Martin, Emilio Chavez, Everett Williams, Alex George, Tyler Nelson

Approval of Agenda

The agenda was approved.

Public Comments

Kate noted that Lower Woodland is an amazing skatepark, and reported 75 concurrent users one day last week, and that it features many different types of features for kids.  She also noted the need for terrain that can accommodate both BMX and skateboarder use.  Ryan asked the public what they liked about the park.  The skaters present noted that the overall flow of the park is good, and that the proximity of the lake provides something to do after skating.

Steven noted that the Lower Woodland skatepark has a good design for maintaining energy when skating around the park, allows for speed among features, has good bowl placement, and has fast concrete with a good feel.  He also noted that the linear grindable space offered by the spined mini-ramp is rather small.

Emilio noted that the bent bank near the ledge creates crossed lines.

Dan noted that he is happy to have a skatepark here, that it has 4” of vert in the bowl which could have been bigger, that it was a long hard fight, and that it could be bigger, but it’s fine.

Dahl Playfield

Kelly provided an update on the status of the project, including historical information, original schematic design, and bidding for construction, which is slated to conclude in November or December.  She noted that the construction budget for the skatedot ($140K) is smaller than expected, and that the site is built on a bog with several issues for concrete slabs, including settlement leading to offset cracks up to 7” deep.  The solution to these issues is to create a horseshoe-shaped “stunt path” design that limits the need for a contiguous mat of concrete.  New Line Skateparks is currently working on the conceptual design and will have initial sketches available soon.  Dan noted that the original design was too compact and asked questions regarding soils and design process.  Next steps include further meetings with New Line Skateparks and design and construction review within Parks.  Additional discussion ensued regarding the actual budget to be spent on Dahl.  The City Council allocated $200K for the design and construction and Kelly is working to keep the project within this amount.

Formal Approval of Use of Skatedot Funds for Delridge Design

Kelly reported that four bids have been submitted from Grindline, New Line Skateparks, Site Design and Wally Hollyday for design on Delridge, and noted that funding request has been submitted to the Mayor’s office and City Council with an estimated timeframe for a funding decision by November.  Given no funding is currently available for the construction, the square footage of the skatepark is unknown and designers will be asked to provide a design for a park between 5K and 20K square feet.  Given only four design submittals were received, all four firms will be interviewed.  Kelly Davidson and Susan Golub (Parks), Matt Johnston SPAC), and Nancy Folsom (Delridge Neighborhood Association) will conduct the interviews and select the designer.  The first public design meeting will be held on July 30th 7-9 at the Delridge Community Center.  Ryan and Dan both noted the unprecedented speed with which Parks has moved on this skatepark.  Kate asked questions regarding a line item in the 2009 budget for Delridge.  Susan noted that the Parks Budget request currently includes $750K for construction of this skatepark.  Ryan noted that prior conversations with Council have advocated for $1M per year.  Perri asked questions about public art.  Kelly noted that many Parks skatepark projects may be eligible for public art funding, but do not necessarily include it.  Susan noted that the capital budget is much tighter this year due to the economic slowdown.  Scott asked about the total cost of design.  Kelly responded that it will be $40K to $50K, plus project management fees.  Additional discussion ensued regarding selection criteria for designers.

Kate also noted that the Greenwood Park is currently under expansion and could use a skatedot.

The SPAC voted unanimously to use a portion of the current skatedot funds ($160K allocated by the City Council) for the Delridge Design.  Parks and SPAC are currently looking for additional skate dot projects to spend the remainder of the skate dot funds.

SeaSk8 Update

Ryan recapped the state of SeaSk8, including the design process, and noted the inclusion of structural glass and many other amazing features in the skatepark.  Perri followed up with additional comments about the current state of the art, including technical details.  Currently, two layers of ¾” “bulletproof” glass separated by a vacuum layer with illumination and integrated images are proposed.  Dan asked about the size of the transition and protection at the top for skaters dropping in from there.  Scott asked about graffiti issues.  Perri described the technical aspects of the glass in terms of these issues.  Design Commission review will be the next step.  Steven asked about the estimated timeline for completion.  Ryan noted that June 2009 is the target opening date, and that he is currently having discussions with the Big 4 festival leads regarding their potential planned use of the skatepark during their festivals.

River City Status

Kim reported that the original willow tree in the middle of the skatepark became diseased and was removed recently.  Several native plantings have also been installed.  Next step will be a structural building permit, which should be available within two weeks.  Mark Hubbard (Grindline) is in town and ready to build, which should take about four months, and thus the estimated completion date is November or December.  The Scott Stamnes Give to Kids program is also interested in helping to build the park.  It is likely that the kidney bowl will be dropped from the design.  Steven noted the utility of an Arlington-style bowl but that multiple skaters can session a kidney bowl.  Kim noted that the site is constrained by 10K square feet, and that the final vision is up to Mark Hubbard and Monk (Grindline).

Lower Woodland – Softballs, Trash, Cleanup Tools, Lights and Bikes

Ryan noted that Morris Wainwright reported a number of softballs entering the park during a session that occurred during batting practice at the adjacent softball field.  Discussion ensued regarding a net for this and safety issues versus aesthetics.

Scott noted that the park could support another recycle bin on the East side.

Emilio noted that a water fountain would be helpful.

Ryan noted that cleaning tools would be helpful.  Dan noted that Pier Park has a lock box with tools for cleaning.  Kate noted that a pocket park near her house also has a similar arrangement.  Scott noted that a Friends of Agreement for people with access to the box would also help build that community.  Dan noted that the old Ballard Bowl had squeegees and brooms, but that they didn’t last more than a couple months without a box.  Susan to follow up with Parks regarding the potential installation of such a box.

Everett noted that rocks on the West side of the skatepark frequently make it into the park and create a skating hazard.

Additional discussion ensued regarding lighting.  Susan noted that she believes the SEPA review included lighting, which is helpful for the process, but that there is currently no funding available to purchase lights. Steven noted that re-orienting some of the existing lights might be possible.  Ryan noted that re-orientation might be a good follow up item with Kim Baldwin.  Dan noted that re-orientation would tie the skatepark lights into the softball lights, which would be wasteful during the winter.

Ryan noted that most complaints from bikers are usually made on behalf of younger skaters.  Dan noted that bikers have many places to ride, but skaters are limited where they can ride, and that if the skatepark were bigger, there would be more room for bikes.  Ryan noted that outreach needs to cover police policy, and that skaters have asked police to remove bikers, but they refused.  Susan noted that Parks outreach has occurred with Seattle Police, but that it is not a Seattle Municipal Code to keep bikes out of parks, so the police don’t have a legal “hook” to do this.  However, the Park Code of Conduct is a recent effort to tie park rules with SMCs, and the Park Board will be reviewing this initiative in a few months.  Kim noted that people should just be able to use their social skills to help regulate their public space.  More discussion ensued regarding bikes in the skatepark, and issues that were discussed with BMX advocates when the SPAC decided to ban bikes in this skatepark.

Northgate Redevelopment Update

No new updates are available at this time.

John and Summit Skate Dot Update

No new updates are available at this time.

Jefferson Skatepark

Susan noted that Subpop Records recently donated $10K to this project for design.  No project manager is assigned at this time, and the Neighborhood Park Redevelopment Fund has been cut, so it is unclear where the project is going at this time.

Myrtle Reservior

There was a space reserved for a skatepark at this site, but the Delridge effort seems to be redirecting this effort.  Kim asked where she could get more deeply involved with the West Seattle skatepark effort.  Scott, Ryan and Dan noted that Matt Johnston is the contact person for this area of the city, and that all questions and correspondence should be directed to him.

Skateparks in Schools

Kim asked about building a skatedot on Alki Elementary, and noted that this school was designated in the Citywide Skatepark Plan for this type of skate feature.  Scott noted that Gretchen DeDecker is the contact person within Seattle Schools for this type of effort.  Discussion ensued regarding skate features at schools and the potential use of some portion of funds from the available skate dot fund.

Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 8:50.  The next meeting will occur on Monday, September 8, 7 PM, 100 Dexter Ave.