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They built a rogue skate park in the middle of Green Lake, now they’re getting sued

Duck Island in the middle of Green Lake, Seattle.
Flickr Photo/Gexydaf (CC BY NC ND 2.0)/https://flic.kr/p/34Xd6H
Duck Island in the middle of Green Lake, Seattle.

The city of Seattle has filed a lawsuit against a skate shop on Capitol Hill.

The lawsuit claims 35th North, and about 20 community members, damaged Green Lake's Duck Island by building a skate park there without permission.

They secretly built a concrete bowl on the island as part of a national contest run by a skateboarding magazine, according to the city.

Rachel Schulkin, a spokeswoman for the Seattle parks department, said the structure caused multiple issues on the island, which is a bird habitat.

"There was brush removal and tree removal, there's also debris throughout the island, there's also debris into the actual water," Shulkin said. "And then, some shoreline erosion as well."

The suit doesn't state how much is being sought in damages, but city staff say they expect it to be in the low six figures.

The shop 35th North has not returned a request for comment.  

Year started with KUOW: 2015