Spokane skateboarders got to cruise across the city council chambers one night last week, to kick off planning for a new wheel-park. The parks department invited skaters to the public meeting to talk about where the new skateboard and BMX park should go.
Monique Cotton, the new parks and recreation spokesperson, says the city has wanted to close the Under the Freeway skatepark for years because the land is not city owned, and not necessarily safe. She says the consensus was to build a new one downtown, possibly in Riverfront Park.
Cotton: “So what we want to do is identify a safe location, where the city already owns property so it makes sense for us to continuously upkeep it and make it a beautiful place. And actually make it a focal point within the city. We want people to come up and watch people skate.”
The city operates three skate and BMX parks, and wants to close the freeway location. Cotton says if the city decides to build the new one in Riverfront Park, it would be part of the upcoming major redesign.
The parks and recreation department is reviewing comments from the public meeting and working with GrindlineSkateparks, a professional design team. The new location would be funded by leftover money from the 2007 bond.
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