Mayor proposes to name Sequim Skate Park after skating advocate Mark Simpson

A proposal by Mayor Brandon Janisse is under consideration to rename Sequim Skate Park to honor late Sequim skating advocate Mark Simpson.

Janisse proposes renaming the park to the “MarkeMark Simpson Skatepark” for his advocacy for skating, the park, and creating a sense of community and a safe place for children to go.

Simpson’s wife Shelly said “MarkeMark” was a nickname he received in the Seattle skate community in the 1990s and board sport community after he started working for Mervin Manufacturing in Seattle.

In May 2023, Simpson was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal and stomach cancer that forced him to take medical leave from Costco where he worked for 10 years. He died at the age of 52 on April 17, 2024.

Under city policy, Sequim city councilors voted 6-0 on Jan. 13, with councilor Dan Butler excused, to open a comment period to gauge the community’s feelings on the proposal before formally considering the name change.

Comments must be received no later than Monday, Feb. 24. Written public comment can be sent to the City Clerk at clerk@sequimwa.gov, sent by regular mail, or hand-delivered to the Sequim City Clerk, 152 W. Cedar St., Sequim, WA 98382.

According to city policy, councilors can opt to put the renaming proposal on a meeting agenda to discuss. No timeline was given for discussing the name change.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Mayor Brandon Janisse holds up a proposed expansion of the Sequim Skate Park that was designed in 2016. He proposes renaming the current skate park after local skating advocate Mark Simpson, who helped bring the design to fruition. Simpson also helped raised about $25,000 for the project over the years prior to his death in 2024.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Mayor Brandon Janisse holds up a proposed expansion of the Sequim Skate Park that was designed in 2016. He proposes renaming the current skate park after local skating advocate Mark Simpson, who helped bring the design to fruition. Simpson also helped raised about $25,000 for the project over the years prior to his death in 2024.

Letter

Janisse wrote a letter to councilors saying Simpson was a “tireless advocate for the often-underrepresented skateboarding community in Sequim (and) in 2016 he launched fundraising efforts (the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Sequim Youth Skate Park Foundation) and sought support from local businesses and organizations to renovate the skate park in Carrie Blake Park, ensuring it would serve future generations of skaters.”

Janisse said Simpson prioritized the park’s upkeep and organized volunteer efforts to clean it.

“Renaming the skate park in Carrie Blake Park to honor Mark Simpson recognizes his pivotal role in shaping and revitalizing this vital community space,” Janisse said.

“Mark’s efforts to renovate and maintain the skate park have directly enhanced the quality of life for Sequim’s youth, providing them with a safe and inclusive environment to gather, express themselves, and develop their skills.”

He added that it also provides the city the chance to “celebrate a local hero while strengthening the identity of the skate park as a central, meaningful part of our town.”

Photo courtesy Mark Simpson/ At age 51, Sequim’s Mark Simpson catches high air performing an ollie in 2023. The trick was something he planned to do everyday that year until a cancer diagnosis had him put the effort on hold, he said. Simpson died in 2024. Family and friends said they support a proposal to rename the Sequim Skate Park after him.

Photo courtesy Mark Simpson/ At age 51, Sequim’s Mark Simpson catches high air performing an ollie in 2023. The trick was something he planned to do everyday that year until a cancer diagnosis had him put the effort on hold, he said. Simpson died in 2024. Family and friends said they support a proposal to rename the Sequim Skate Park after him.

Legacy

Shelly Simpson said in an interview that getting a call from Janisse about the proposed name change “was an honor.”

The Simpsons were married for 30 years prior to his death, and they met while attending church in Seattle, she said in an interview. They share three children.

Shelly read a letter to city councilors from Mark’s friend Gary Barss, who wrote that he couldn’t “think of a person more deserving to name the park after than Mark.”

He said “(Mark) cared immensely about the kids that are in the skate community and he worked tirelessly to coach them and teach them how to skate but also advocated for wearing helmets and being safe as well.”

“Mark loved people and he often told me how much he wanted to improve the skate park so that it would be a safe place for young people in Sequim to be outdoors and have community with each other,” Barss wrote.

He added that his friend would be looking down smiling on the skate park and his legacy.

Simpson started skateboarding at age 12 in Springfield, Ore., he said in a 2015 interview, and “just decided not to stop as an adult.”

He was highlighted in the Gazette for his effort to do an ollie — a skateboarding move where the rider and board leap without hands — each day for more than two years.

He tried to restart the challenge again in 2023 and got to day 141 on May 21 but then pain and weakness caused him to pause.

During his initial streak, he ollied in the rain, snow, wind, in other states/countries, and while sick.

“There are some days where you are so sick it throws off your equilibrium, but I still get it done,” he said in 2015.

To finish his second year of an ollie a day, he went to the Sequim Skate Park in near-freezing temperatures on Dec. 31. Reflecting on his two-year experience, Simpson said he started the streak more for himself but met people he inspired, and he discovered an online community of skaters in their 40s and 50s still skating across the nation.

Photo courtesy Mark Simpson/ At a Sequim Youth Skate Park Foundation fundraiser in 2022, Mark Simpson skates during the festivities. A proposal is open to public comment for 30 days to rename the Sequim Skate Park after him for his advocacy for board sports and the park.

Photo courtesy Mark Simpson/ At a Sequim Youth Skate Park Foundation fundraiser in 2022, Mark Simpson skates during the festivities. A proposal is open to public comment for 30 days to rename the Sequim Skate Park after him for his advocacy for board sports and the park.

In 2016, he helped start the Sequim Youth Skate Park Foundation, saying in 2017 the park’s current conditions were geared more for bikes.

“Bikers love this, but it’s really rough for skaters,” he said. “In the winter, we can see the water seep through, and there are cracks everywhere.”

The foundation received a design for the proposed skate park from Grindline Concrete Skatepark Design and Construction of Seattle in 2016, which proposes expanding the existing park to the west.

Simpson said the project then would have cost between $700,000-$1 million.

“It’s drastically needed because it’s used all the time,” he said.

Shelly said the foundation continues on with hopes of someone taking on the effort. It’s raised about $25,000 through various fundraisers, she said.

Janisse said Simpson’s efforts showed his dedication.

“He was working with what he had to help out any way he could,” he said. “Hopefully his vision of a new skate park is in the future plans.”

For more information about the Sequim Youth Skate Park Foundation, visit sequimyouthskateparkfoundation.com and instagram.com/sysk8parkf.