Site of illegal skate bowl in Seattle was already a dump

It’s hard for KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson to imagine a local company being sued for building a small skate bowl on public property when there is already garbage, drug paraphernalia, and tents scattered all over Seattle’s greenways.

WSDOT targeting skate park, not tents, under I-405

But that’s exactly what happened to 35th North Skateshop. The business had to pay $30,000 to settle with the city after an illegal skate bowl was built on Duck Island in Green Lake.

KING 5 reports the settlement will cover out-of-pocket costs and remaining costs to restore part of the island that the city says was damaged by construction of the bowl. The agreement clears the shop of liability and dismisses a lawsuit that could have cost the owner a lot more.

Tony Croghan, the owners of 35th North, told Dori the bowl was built without his knowledge. He had asked, “a few kids” for a last-minute skate obstacle to be eligible for a Nike and TransWorld do-it-yourself contest. But he had no idea it would lead to this, he said.

After it was built last July and the city learned of it, Croghan got hit with a lawsuit that, if he hadn’t settled, would have led to expenses in the “low six figures.”

The skate bowl has been removed. KING 5 reports restoration continues.

Though he doesn’t encourage renegade behavior, Dori says he can’t believe how something like this would be worthy of a six-figure lawsuit, “especially when the city allows heroin needles and tents and garbage on every piece of greenway.”

“It was pretty unbelievable,” Croghan agreed.