We are a group of dedicated volunteer advocates that have been bridging the gap between the Seattle skateboarding community and Seattle city government for over 20 years. Our mission is to assist and ensure that the city of Seattle includes safe and accessible facilities, funding, and inclusive policies that support and serve the skateboarding community.

We have a plan!

In February 2006, the Seattle City Council adopted Resolution #30843, recognizing skateboarding as a healthy and popular recreational activity, and committing to establish a network of skateparks of various sizes throughout the City. At that time, Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) worked with an appointed Skatepark Advisory Task Force and a planning consultant to develop the Citywide Skatepark Plan. The Seattle Department of Transportation and the Port of Seattle were also represented on the Task Force.

During the planning process, citizens and public agencies nominated 130 sites for potential skateparks. A Task Force member and the consultant visited all 130 sites and calculated a score for each site based on weighted criteria. The top 30 sites were discussed with the community and SPR. The Task Force recommended 26 sites for inclusion in what is now known as the Seattle Citywide Skatepark Plan (Plan), published on January 31, 2007. The Plan included the following skatepark recommendations:

8 Skatedots
9 Skatespots
4 District Skateparks
1 Regional Skatepark
4 Potential Future Sites

Who are skatepark advocates?

Ken Bounds was the first Seattle Parks Superintendent to really get skateparks. We enjoyed working with Ken on several pivotal projects in Seattle’s storied skatepark history. In an article announcing his retirement, he said: “We’ve got our staff working very well with lots of partners, not the least of which are volunteers.” In the 2014 article, he also said that volunteers contributed around 300,000 hours of labor to the department last year, doing everything from planting trees to cutting down English ivy in greenbelts. Volunteers and advocates have always been an important part of Seattle Parks Department’s mission, but their role can fluctuate greatly from project to project, and SPR does not seem to have a formal set of policies or framework to direct staff when working with advocates.

Advocates are:

Skateboarders
Professionals
Parents
Taxpayers
Concerned citizens
Kids and adults

The current membership of the SPAC worked together on Seattle Center Skatepark 5.
Photo: Robert Nellams

Join us!

If you would like more information or want to attend one of our monthly meetings, please send us an email at SeattleSPAC@gmail.com