Edge Skate Park: Grinds, Flips, and Grabs
Located near the Old Fire House Teen Center, Edge Skate Park offers 1.4 acres adjoining the downtown Redmond Transit Center, providing bus riders waiting for their buses a chance to watch skateboarders and inline skaters performing their tricks along its ramps and rails. A street-course park, Edge Skate Park features close to eight thousand feet of stairs, bowls, rails, platforms, edges and even a pair of quarter pipes to practice tricks like airwalk grabs and ollies. A grassy area surrounding the cement installation supplies a place for weary skaters to sprawl.
Built in 1998, the park's name was determined by public competition. The winning name, suggested by Mary and Pam Sindall, is meant to evoke the technological edge Redmond enjoys from its hosting of Microsoft, beating out names like "Sammamish Cannonball Park" and "Asphalt Heaven."
The park features a pair of "free walls," places where graffiti artists can exercise their talents, providing a constantly changing piece of art. In some places the layers of accumulated paint are almost an inch thick, and the trashcans near the walls have become part of the art as well, featuring bright tags and elaborate designs. The graffiti walls resulted from the creative energy of two Redmond police officers, Bill Corson and Nick Lovell. Originally assigned to stop graffiti taggers, Corson and Lovell proposed providing a dedicated space for graffiti in order to keep it there rather than on local businesses' walls. The project was successful in significantly reducing the amount of graffiti in Redmond, and is an example of Redmond's emphasis on community oriented policing.
Few amenities other than skateboard space are provided, and food and beverages are not permitted in the skating area.
HelloSeattle Tip: The park does not provide safety equipment or other amenities. Skaters eschewing protective gear may take comfort in the fact that the Evergreen Medical Group is located just across the street.
Posted on Feb 6, 2011 by Cat Rambo
