A Seattle skate shop will pay the city $30,000 after an illegal skate park popped up on Duck Island in Green Lake Park, the Seattle City Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
“35th North settled this matter because it was interested in maintaining a working relationship with the skateboarding community and the City of Seattle,” said Tony Croghan, owner of 35th North, the Capitol Hill skate shop connected to the unauthorized park.
The $30,000 settlement will cover the city’s out of pocket costs to date and estimated remaining costs to restore about one-third of the island that was damaged by the construction.
As part of the settlement, the skate shop denies liability and maintains that others are responsible. The city will dismiss the suit against 35th North and the 20 people who were initially sued in November for involvement in building the ramp.
The skate park was built in July for a contest sponsored by Nike and TransWorld SKATEboarding magazine that encouraged skateboarders to build their own skate parks and make a video about it. A group of local skateboarders hauled building materials onto Duck Island and submitted a video of the group skating the small ramp they built on the island.
The entry was tied to 35th North.
The city removed the cement skate park last summer, but restoration efforts won’t be complete until later this year, according to Seattle Parks and Recreation. Restoration work is expected to begin in the next month or so.
