Public helps plan Buckley skateboard park
Published 1:16 pm Thursday, December 11, 2008
By Jessica Keller, The Courier-Herald
The city of Buckley is in the planning stages for its skateboard/multi-use park, and city officials now have a better idea of what the public wants.
City officials heard from the public, skateboarders and citizens alike, during a May 18 meeting at the Multi-purpose center in Buckley.
Construction of the multi-use skateboard park is scheduled for this summer. It will include a flat 13,200-square-foot concrete slab with modular ramps and obstacles and will be located in the open area between River Avenue and the Foothills Trail southwest of the post office.
But while city engineers have come up with the basic layout of the skateboard park, city officials wanted to get design input of the modular components of the park.
The first hour of the meeting, however, was spent addressing citizens' concerns on the type of skateboard park that will be installed.
Many of the citizens, who are skateboarders, and those who spearheaded the project, wanted to know why the city decided on a modular component skateboard park, as opposed to a concrete skateboard park, which is their preferred choice. When the plan to build a skateboard park in Buckley first began in 1999, a concrete park was planned. Many of those who attended the meeting were skeptical of the city's motives and decision to build a modular unit skate park rather than what the consensus wanted.
"Is the skateboard park being built for the City Council or the people?" Jeff Sarsted asked.
City Administrator Dave Schmidt and Councilman Randy Reed explained it was for both.
Reed explained if money was not a factor, the city could build whatever type of skateboard park it wanted, but that just wasn't the case.
The city had originally planned to have an all concrete skateboard park, but the estimated cost for the concrete park returned to the city from an engineer was more than $300,000. City officials were hesitant to spend that amount of money for a park that would be built for a select group of citizens, Schmidt said. He explained the city had an obligation to build a park enjoyable to every Buckley resident, not just skateboarders.
Instead the city decided to apply for a grant for a multi-use and skateboard park, although it would mean the city would build a less expensive skateboard park using the modular components. The city was granted $235,000 for its proposal, which required a 50 percent match from the city. Of that $470,000, a little more than $100,000 will be spent on the skateboard park.
Another limitation was a concrete skate park would not be possible at the location chosen on River Avenue due to drainage problems.
Reed said with all the various considerations to factor, the modular component skateboard park was the city's best option.
"It's not as good, but it's better than what you got," Reed said.
Jeanine Cousineau, who spearheaded the White River Skate Park Committee's effort to build a skateboard park in Buckley in 1999, agreed the current design was not was preferred but understood the limitations of the project.
"We wanted the concrete, but right now we better take what we can get or else we're not going to get it," she said during the meeting.
Audience members still pointed out to city officials a really nice skateboard park could provide numerous benefits to the city, including an economic boost, and the city should take advantage of that possibility.
Reed said if the skateboard park really is a huge attraction for people, and looks like it could be a source of revenue, it can be expanded on in the future. At this time, however, the city has to work within its means.
"It's kind of like buying your first car," Reed said.
After citizens' comments were taken, the last half hour to 45 minutes was spent designing skateboard park component layouts using miniature modular components. That's when the atmosphere changed, Schmidt said; first came acceptance, then excitement.
For skateboarder Quinn Proffitt, 15, the most important thing is to have the different ramps and obstacles allow for constant movement such as one big circle.
Proffitt said while he prefers concrete to the modular skateboard park, he's simply glad the city is going to have a park and that it is going in this summer, giving kids more to do.
"I'm glad we're getting something, and I'm glad that it's going to be good, too," Proffitt said.
While Proffitt and other skateboarders were designing their ideal skateboard park, Gray & Osborne engineer Dominic Miller, who has worked on skateboard parks in Renton and Woodinville, took pictures and notes of the different designs and placements of the units. Schmidt said with all the information gathered at the meeting, hopefully the engineers could come up with a common design that stuck out and common themes, and from that offer the city a recommendation on the site plan.
Cousineau said after the meeting she is glad the city is building some sort of skateboard park, and hopes the original design of all concrete will eventually be built.
"All in all we have more than what we started with, and it's a start," she said. "We're really fortunate to get what we got really.
"For the sake of the kids in the community, we're proud to have this. It's a beginning of some sort of a recreational park system," she said, adding once the youth center is built, the multi-use skateboard park will be a great tie-in.
Schmidt said he thought the meeting was a success overall. He was glad the citizens were given the opportunity to comment and be included in the process. It was also good, he said, to hear citizens' concerns and give them the city's answers, such as why a concrete park was not an option at this time.
"It's like deciding if you want a Chevy Impala or a Cadillac," Schmidt said. "And right now the city can't afford a Cadillac. And I know the council thought they were doing a good thing for the community."
Schmidt said the city wants to go out for bid on the project as soon as possible, but first the contaminated stockpile, which is currently where the future site of the multi-use skateboard park is located, must be removed. Once that's eliminated the city can move forward with the bidding process.
Jessica Keller can be reached at jkeller@cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/courierherald
