MEDICAL LAKE—When 15-year-old Samuel Russell took up skating about 18 months ago, he realized there wasn’t a skate park in town where he and his skateboarding-inclined friends could safely recreate.
So, the sophomore studying at Medical Lake High School decided to reach out and see if one could be built.
“I talked to my dad, and he said that there used to be a skate park here, but it got shut down for different reasons,” Russell said. “I was thinking about it, and I was like, ‘well, there’s solutions to all of those (problems), so I could probably just talk to city council and see if I could get another one back in.’”
Russell said the only place to skate in town now is in parking lots, which often have loitering rules, or on streets, which can be dangerous.
“I’ve seen multiple skaters almost get hit by cars because there’s no real escape for them along the roads,” Russell said. “(A park) would help with that.”
Medical Lake used to have a skate park on the northwest corner of Barker Street and North Hallett Street. It was removed in 2007 after a bevy of problems, including a noise lawsuit and “relentless” vandalism that included lighting ramps on fire and racist graffitiing, city administrator Doug Ross said.
Russell also learned why the old skate park was removed. He then emailed councilmember Elizabeth Rosenbeck, acknowledged problems with the old skate park and presented his thoughts on how those issues could be prevented with a new skate park. He also called Ross directly via phone.
“He sent me a really professional email,” Rosenbeck said. “I was quite impressed…that he took the time to research the previous skate park’s issues and identified his solutions.”
Some of Russell’s ideas include a secured fence and hidden camera system where culprits of any crimes could be easily identified.
“(We) need people to police it more than just actual policemen,” Russell said. “The kids can take responsibility for it.”
Rosenbeck informed council about her correspondence with Russell at council’s Nov. 3 meeting. She also called Ross directly to discuss correspondence.
Russell ended up getting a “no” from the city concerning his request for the municipality to fund a new skate park, but was encouraged to seek other funding sources.
“They didn’t really give me a reason why they said no, but they said no,” Russell said. “They said I should reach out to the school and clubs.”
Ross noted that skate parks take a “fair amount” of planning and budgeting and wasn’t something the city had on its radar before Russell’s request.
Ross confirmed that he encouraged Russell to pursue a skate park through the school district.
“Perhaps it could even become some sort of after school program or a physical education class,” Ross told Russell via email.
Russell reached out to Medical Lake Kiwanis, ReImagine Medical Lake, the Lion’s Club and several local businesses. Kiwanis members said they weren’t able to help him without city council’s approval, but Russell plans to continue to reach out to other local businesses, and also plans to discuss his idea with the school in hopes of finding an organization willing to fund the area.
He thinks a possible location for the skate park could be found near the baseball and softball fields off Lefevre Street, which are owned by the school, hence why he would need to go to the school to get funding to build a new skate park.
Russell also thinks the old location at Barker Street and Hallett Road could be a place where a new park could go.
Ultimately, Russell wants to create a place where he and his friends can enjoy their hobby in a safe and responsible way.
“It would be a good outlet and a good gathering place,” Russell said. “It’s something to do other than going to parties and getting in fights and stuff.”
Rosenbeck wants Russell to continue his pursuit, even if city funding isn’t a viable option.
“I think it’s a great experience for him to be pursuing this and figuring out the red tape bureaucracy in this small city,” Rosenbeck said.
Drew Lawson can be reached at [email protected].
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