Red tape might accidentally kill a DIY spot in WA

DIY spots are abundant, and everyone knows when you start one that the odds are stacked against you. Still, the amount of DIY spots that are granted amnesty have increased, so you have to like those odds better than playing the lottery. Even when you celebrate, you know there’s a chance that the rug can be pulled out from under you. Hell, technically, even Burnside still exists only on double secret probation. Industrious skaters in Glacier, Washington built a spot called the Coal Pad on somewhat abandoned mining property that later was purchased in auction. When the new landowner Joe King found out about the spot when the county threatened him with fines unless the the park was removed or sanctioned with the proper permits. Incredibly, King agreed to let the park stay, provided the skating community took care of certain obligations agreed to be… adults. That’s a heartwarming stoke, until you get to the part where the company that previously had a mining lease on the property claims they weren’t properly informed of the sale, and are taking legal action to have the sale voided. First order of business? Tear down the skatepark and start strip mining. Greed concurs all? If the sale is voided, Joe King gets his money back, but as he was quoted in the Bellingham Herald:

“I don’t want my money back, and I don’t want that skate park torn out,” King said. “I’ve got too much time and energy and emotions invested in that.”

The plot thickens as the concrete sets. Tune to Glacier Skate Park Association for the latest.

– Thanks to John Aguilar for the tip.