I'm pretty sure the lunatic lady who singlehandedly tried to destroy this project lives in one of the houses visible in the distance in the last photo. You can see why she was upset; the skate park is going to be within a MILE of there. Jeez. I think I'll go to that party even though I don't skate.

yeah! rejoice, homeowners of 50th & green lake way - the sound of skateboard scraping has been added to aluminum bats-on-softballs & incessant idling traffic.

it's made of concrete?!?! that seems dangerous. why don't they make it out of foam or something like that? i'd much rather fall on foam.

Finally a place large enough to hold not just the LaRouchies and and the Paultards, but all the old Steve Forbes skaters too!

The party is at her front door.

But, what about all the homeless people who camp out in the park? What will they do?

Maybe that nice lady can help them ...

(now where did I put my board ...)

Looks like its time to purchase a new deck! I have not been on a board since 1990, but this being in my neighborhood might get me back into skating. My ankles were never stronger than when I used to skate.

i'd rather endure waterboarding than have to hear that skateboard scraping day and night.

woodland park could use a comprehensive re-thinking of its space. it seems a little underutilized for its size. that and the noise from aurora stops it from being a very satisfying park experience. needs a sound barrier.

Wow. That's a way better use of a park than a bunch of stupid green grass.

That seems fast. When did they break ground on this?

They name it yet? How about the "David Della Political Career Memorial Skate Park"?

Better than tearing out the international fountain at the Seattle Center. What a bunch of idiots.

It looks like someone took a huge concrete shit on a nice piece of green space.

@ 13-They were never going to tear out the international fountain. Dur.

It is shocking to see how negative most of these comments are. First of all, the idea of being upset about someone paving over a fairly small area of grass in order to build a facility that will bring exercise and joy to countless people is laughable. I guess you'll have to find another field for your ultimate frisbee games. Also, to the poor homeowners of 50th and Greenlake Way, guess what? You live in a city. If you can't even handle the sound of softball bats you should consider relocating. To a retirement facility.

Isn't that an Olmstead Park?

@17: It is. Or perhaps more accurately "was." Tough to tell under the acres of chain-link fencing and concrete. Sad, really.

It'll be interesting to track the usage of this skatepark 6 to 12 months after it opens.

This massive, costly concrete structure was justified by the unsupported claim that there are 20,000 active skateboarders in Seattle, and that they are kids. Well, we'll see... It's not hard to predict that once the initial buzz blows over (give it 6 months or less, probably), this facility will be used by only a small handful of skaters, and they will be mostly adult men, who will actually drive away any kids who want to use it.

It's so sad to see decisions like this being made with our precious remaining open space, and our precious limited public funds.

This adult male (near 30, with a masters degree, and tax payer) can't wait to start skateboarding again thanks to this park. OUR parks are for the enjoyment of ALL residents (young and old)and this facility helps meet the diverse needs of the Seattle citizenry. I just hope this one is built better than the one at Seattle Center. The city should have gotten their money back for the poor concrete work. I skated that once when I first moved here and never went again.