A Seattle skate shop and 20 John and Jane Does who allegedly damaged Green Lake’s Duck Island by covertly building a skate park there are the target of a civil suit filed today by the City Attorney’s Office.
Named as the leading defendant is the shop, 35th North, the only skate shop in the City that was asked by Transworld Skateboarding Magazine to enter a contest to build a new skate park or add on to an existing one. The video submitted to the contest by 35th North, the suit states, showed Jane and John Does building the concrete, bowl-shaped structure on the island, which is designated an environmentally critical area.
The skate park orchestrated by 35th North was designated a contest winner but was later disqualified. The City, which expects to identify the other defendants by name as the litigation progresses, is still calculating potential damages and penalties, and expects the total sought at trial to be in the low six figures.
The restoration of Duck Island will include weed removal, storm water and erosion control, litter removal and planting of new vegetation and brush.
“As stewards of Seattle’s public parkland,” Parks Superintendent Jesús Aguirre said, “we were saddened to see the misuse and destruction of Duck Island. We are thankful to our partners in the City Attorney’s Office for seeking to hold those responsible accountable for damage created.”