“It’s awesome,” said 14-year-old David Raymond of Irondale.
It’s a sentiment felt by hundreds of youths and young adults who just can’t get enough of Port Townsend’s new skate park.
Located downtown at Monroe and Jefferson streets, the park opened Saturday, March 25, even though some fencing and sidewalk work still needs to be completed. A formal opening is planned for May.
The park has been teeming with enthusiasts until dusk every night so far, many of whom seem to be experiencing a combination of euphoria and disbelief that a permanent park is finally theirs to enjoy.
The kids aren’t even complaining about parents and other adults hanging around to watch and take pictures. Some seem unduly polite, apologizing as skateboards sometimes go airborne sans rider, whizzing by photographers trying to get that quintessential action photo.
And not everyone using the park is male.
“It’s mostly guys, but gals can do it,” said 14-year-old Alicia Pullen of Port Townsend. She’d like to learn how to skateboard. Her friend Julie Joyce of Chimacum used to skate and said she might skate again now that there’s a permanent park. “It used to be like ‘ghetto,’” Joyce said, “I think this is a good thing for the community.”
“Everyone’s back in town,” said 21-year-old Tim Suryan, who pushed for construction of the park since he was 12. “Mel, Joe, Mario, Philip,” he said, savoring the reunion of longtime skateboarders.
“It’s the best thing that’s ever happened here,” said Mel Morgensen, 33, of Port Townsend. He said he helped set up the first bank account to raise funds for a permanent park some years ago. Having recreation opportunities for young people is vital, he said.
Design questions
Among those who worked to develop a permanent park for much of their young lives is 20-year-old Micah Van Lelyveld, who has since moved to Seattle, where he works in a skate and snowboard shop.
Van Lelyveld said he was disappointed that some of the features in a design done by local youths and later approved by the city never made it to the final construction.
“No one wants to grind a 4-inch ledge,” he said of one of the park features. And there should have been two, not one “quarter pipes” to form a “half pipe,” he said. Another feature not included in the finished park is called a “hubba,” he said.
Nonetheless, Van Lelyveld said, “It’s awesome that there’s a park in Port Townsend.”
Chris Baker, 17, shared some of Van Lelyveld’s observations, particularly about the desire to have a half-pipe. He’s nonetheless thrilled to have a permanent park right here in town. “This is a great park. I really appreciate it.”
Public Works Director Ken Clow said that the city attempted to bid the $450,000 project three times without success. The first two times, all of the bids were higher than the funds available, and no bids were received on the third try, he said.
The city subsequently negotiated with Dreamland to build the park, Clow said. But Dreamland and two other potential contractors had all been unwilling to build the park as designed, saying it included too many features in the available space. And while there was extensive public input leading up to the bid process, the final design changes were handled by staff and the contractor, Clow said.
Safety precautions
Two male youths suffered injuries on the first day of park operation. One fractured a wrist and another broke a leg. The youth with the broken leg was scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday, Clow said, and he was not aware of anyone else being seriously injured so far.
Clow said that the city regrets that anyone was injured. After the initial rush to use the park and as youths become more familiar with it, he hopes there will be far fewer injuries.
Temporary signs have been posted at the entrances to the park. One sign warns of the possibility of injuries, encourages the use of helmets and other protective equipment, and says that the city does not assume responsibility for injuries. Park rules are also posted on a sign.
The City Council has agreed to delay enforcement until July 2007 of an ordinance that would require the use of helmets at the park, at which time park users and bicyclists (citywide) would have to use helmets.
So far, it appears that less than 10 percent of skate park users are using helmets. But many users said they accept the risk of injury as part of a sport involving concrete, speed and gravity-defying maneuvers.
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