Sitting by the waterfront under the Roeder Avenue bridge is an ever-growing do-it-yourself skate park.
With the help of Unknown Board Shop owner Zack Garza, the skate park has become a place for Bellingham skaters to call home. After the waterfront opened for public use, Garza and a group of other Bellingham skaters began building the park.
The park has a variety of features for skaters to use, and new ramps are built frequently.
“The DIY was kind of created by skaters, for skaters,” said Jacob Hall, a Bellingham skater and Western Washington University student. “The way that that park is constructed allows for skaters to enjoy that park.”
The official Bellingham skate park at the Civic Athletic Complex was built by construction workers instead of skaters, Garza previously told The Front.
“There’s a lot of vertical walls,” Hall said. “It’s kind of really crap to learn on. There definitely is some stuff you can learn on, but you can set up different features at the DIY that makes it really appealing.”
Because the DIY park is located underneath a bridge, it allows for skating during the rainy months, too, similar to Marginal Way Skatepark in Seattle.
The DIY skate park has also become a staple live music venue.
WTD is published online Mondays and in print Fridays. Have a suggestion for a “What’s the Deal With?” inquiry? Email us at newstips@cascadiadaily.com.
CDN thanks Western Washington University professor John Harris for submitting student work from his newswriting class.
