Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Skate Park design
This is an artist’s sketch of the proposed skate park in Palouse.
Plans for part of the proposed Palouse Skate Park to feature an area that can be used as an amphitheater have drawn some resistance after a final design was widely seen before a fundraiser last week.
During the promotion for the March 11 silent auction event – which raised an estimated $8,000 for the skate park – local residents Nick and Nancy Whitesell saw a flyer online which showed the amphitheater feature of the design.
“The noise, how it’s going to affect property values, those are my main concerns,” said Nancy, who lives within two blocks of the site. “The way sound resonates in our little town, a block and a half isn’t that far.”
The Whitesells appeared at the city council meeting March 10 and were asked to appear at the next meeting March 23.
The Palouse Planning Commission discussed the matter at their meeting Tuesday.
Whitesell said she does not oppose the noise from annual events such as Palouse Days and Haunted Palouse, noting the limited nature of the attractions.
“Those are a celebration of our town, and they are not a permanent fixture,” she said. “That’s gonna go away. If it’s a permanent fixture in place, the possibility is there it will be too much. If Palouse Days or Haunted Palouse was every weekend (for an extended time) I would have an issue with that, too.”
Skate park organizer Aaron Flansburg suggested that the impact of the amphitheater-feature will be smaller than feared.
“It’s a series of three covered steps opposite a 12-inch high manual pad,” he said. “It has the potential to be a dual-purpose space, but an amphitheater is its secondary use. Music on Palouse Days after a skate contest. That’s kind of what I envision.”
He estimated the number of times the amphitheater feature would be used would be limited.
“The number of events our group anticipates would be between three and five per year,” he said. “I would say that would be on the high end for amplified live music. Any events would be during daylight hours. It’s not a concert venue.”
The skate park is to be built on Whitman Street, on a private plot behind the Palouse Community Center.
“I still have some, what I think are very valid concerns about what this will bring to our neighborhood,” said Whitesell, a Palouse resident who grew up in the town and returned 14 years ago. “If necessary, I’m prepared to start a petition to try to get the amphitheater nixed.”
“I’m confident the impact of this design element will be minimal to the surrounding neighborhoods,” said Flansburg, who also plans to attend Monday’s city council meeting.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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