Meetings, Recreation

Community invited to discuss Jefferson Park skateable art

8 Comments
Soon there could be an additional place to skate at Jefferson Park besides this skate park. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
All are invited to a public meeting on Monday, July 15, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Jefferson Community Center to discuss a proposed skateable art installation at Jefferson Park. The meeting is intended to brief the neighborhood on the history of the project and get feedback on the current work and proposed locations in the park. Artist CJ Rench will be there to discuss his thoughts on the project.

Red Bull recently approached Seattle Parks and Recreation with a proposal to, according to Seattle Parks, “invest in the community by commissioning an artist to design and fabricate a unique skateable art piece.” Originally, the proposed location was at Myrtle Edwards Park on the Seattle waterfront, but after a recent public meeting and other comments, Parks decided to look into other possible locations for the skateable art. Jefferson Park is well suited for the project because it is large, well-used, has parking available, and has a beautiful view of the city.

Three potential sites at Jefferson Park will be discussed at the July 15 meeting. According to Seattle Parks, the project is the first of its kind permanent art installation for skateboarding. For more information, see the website or contact Pamela Kliment of Seattle Parks and Recreation, 206.684.7556, or pamela.kliment@seattle.gov.

Jefferson Community Center is located at 3801 Beacon Ave. S.

8 thoughts on “Community invited to discuss Jefferson Park skateable art”

  1. Is this going to be the focus of an advertisement for Red Bull? I think the skate park is great but I oppose some Red Bull propaganda in a park that has “beautiful views” of our beautiful neighborhood, city and region.

  2. Bob, you’ll want to ask that question at the meeting. All I know so far is from the Myrtle Edwards meeting comments, which said: “(To Red Bull) what will they do with it? Priority is to create art piece -‐ may use it in the future for branding don’t know…”

  3. Here are links to the minutes of the two design commission meetings for the Jefferson Skatepark.
    Meeting 1 June 3, 2010: http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/AppDocs/GroupMeetings/DCReportJefferson-SkateparkAgendaID2983.pdf
    Presentation 1: http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/AppDocs/GroupMeetings/DCPresentation1Jefferson-SkateparkAgendaID2983.pdf
    Meeting 2,September 16, 2010: http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/AppDocs/GroupMeetings/DCReportJefferson-SkateparkAgendaID3061.pdf
    Presentation 2: http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/AppDocs/GroupMeetings/DCPresentation1Jefferson-SkateparkAgendaID3061.pdf

    The main difference in the design from the first to the final presentations is the addition of the pedestrian pathway that loops around the back of the Skatepark. There was no path around the back in the first two concepts from the earlier presentation. The path around the back was suggested by one attendee of the second public meeting, and the idea was not initially well recieved by the skatepark designers. The skaters in attendance also opposed a path behind the structure. If no one had suggested the idea at a public meeting, that path might not be there right now, making the skatepark far less interactive with the rest of the park.
    Public participation matters. Read the design commission comments and go to this meeting if you can. Jefferson Park only gets better when more people get involved in the public process.

  4. I’m not willing to write this off just because its sponsored by Red Bull. They throw money at some crazy projects, but it makes me cautious. It will be interesting to see what they have to say.

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