Slog - Comments on Sold Out http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/01/sold_out_1 This entry was posted by news intern Brian Turner When the city's skatepark task force meets tonight, one of the first topics they will cover is how to replace the last remaining skatepark in the central city, which was demolished last week to make way for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's new headquarters. More than a half million dollars set aside from the sale of the 12-acre parking lot where the skatepark was located will go toward replacing it somewhere on the Center campus. The destruction of the skatepark came as a surprise to skaters like John Carr and... Copyright 2008 Mon, 08 Jan 2007 14:13:56 -0800 Mon, 08 Jan 2007 16:24:05 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by Will in Seattle They'll probably rebuild it, but it won't be accessible to the public ...

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/01/sold_out_1#c585561 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/01/sold_out_1#c585561 News Mon, 08 Jan 2007 15:12:35 -0800 Comment by Dave Coffman Skating isn't perceived by some as "family" oriented so the Seattle Center people don't know what to do.

]]> Dave Coffman http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/01/sold_out_1#c585582 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/01/sold_out_1#c585582 News Mon, 08 Jan 2007 15:46:24 -0800 Comment by Josh Lose the funforest, build a skate park.

]]> Josh http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/01/sold_out_1#c585598 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/01/sold_out_1#c585598 News Mon, 08 Jan 2007 16:13:59 -0800 Comment by MLJ Actually, they built (and have rebuilt) the first public skatepark in Seattle. They have tried to be good to skaters in the past, but largely due to the fact that they wanted to get skaters off the main campus.

What they "know" is that the old park attracted graffiti, "bad" behavior (smoking, swearing), and the occasional fight. They don't want this stuff on the main campus.

What they don't seem to know despite repeated explanations by skate advocates, is that if the park is well integrated into a vibrant space on the campus, with good visibility, no fence, something for adult skaters to skate, and lots of room for spectators...most if not all of the anti-social behavior will disappear.

If you locate a skaetpark across the street in a parking lot nether region, cage it in with a giant fence, and make it nearly impossible for adults to stop and enjoy watching the activities, you are designing failure into the skate park.

In fact, no matter what you build under those conditions will attract problems.

]]> MLJ http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/01/sold_out_1#c585606 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/01/sold_out_1#c585606 News Mon, 08 Jan 2007 16:24:05 -0800