Sorry…we’re back!

Going back through the archives of this site, it’s easy to see that a lot has happened in the last 20 years of skatepark advocacy. It didn’t start there either. There was a whole movement before the Ballard Bowl that set the stage for what we did then, and what we are doing now.

The Seattle skateboarding community is a strong and often overlooked leader in what effective skatepark advocacy looks like. We had a Citywide Skatepark Plan in 2007. We have worked hard to evolve from two officially sanctioned skateparks in 2004 to 22 official and unofficial skate-spaces in 2024.

The core group of Seattle skatepark advocates have never stopped working, and are currently engaged on projects including the about-to-break-ground Rainier Beach Skatepark, the ongoing Morgan Junction All-Wheels Area, and are also advising on the Magnolia Skatepark.

The newly reformed Seattle Skatepark Advisory Group, working in agreement with the Seattle Parks Department, has a new charter that aims to address the next chapter of Seattle’s public skatepark story. While we continue to focus on new skatepark development and funding, we are also addressing the needs of a now mature skatepark system such as maintenance and programming.

Please check out SPAG member and advocacy lifer Scott Shinn’s excellent website for a complete inventory of Seattle skateparks, spots, and dots. It’s also currently the only place where you can see the Citywide Skatepark Plan with all of the appendices (we are working with Seattle Parks to fix this). The index is sortable, clickable, and totally useful. Thanks to Scott for all the work he’s put into this over the years!

The new advisory group meets monthly and meetings are open to the public. Please join our mailing list to be notified of meetings and locations. We will also use the list to send out notifications for project updates, mobilizations for project support, and opportunities to get involved.

Thanks for your ongoing support and we can’t wait to see you at the next meeting.

/M