Exit133

September 10, 2013 · Exit133

No More Go-Karts at Point Defiance... Probably...

The go-karts that have been a part of the Point Defiance landscape for nearly 30 years won't be there much longer.

Apparently go-karts aren't a part of Metro Parks' long-term vision for what the park should be, and last month they informed the owner that his lease will not be renewed when it runs out at the end of 2014.

Long-term park plans show a mixed-use area, including a pedestrian bridge, open space, and parking on the triangle of land that is currently home to the go-karts.

The News Tribune reports that the business owner wants to stay, and is looking to the public to voice support for his business.

Do you want to fight to keep the go-karts where they are? Will you be glad to see them go? What other Tacoma location could be a new home for the go-karts?

Filed under: Parks, Point Defiance

23 comments

  • tacoma1 September 10, 2013

    I'm glad that the go-karts are leaving. It's completely incompatible with the park setting. The additional pedestrian/bike access will be well used I'm sure. If the business owner wants to stay in business, I wonder if there is enough space over behind the B&I? There seems to be acres of little used parking lot there.

    • JDHasty September 10, 2013

      I suppose Camp 6 & Never Never Land were also incompatible with the park setting. Will you also be pontificating on how "inappropriate" picnicking is within the park?

      • tacoma1 September 10, 2013

        Actually, Camp 6 should have always been where the Go-Karts are now. If so, it probably would still be a popular tourist site and an opportunity for a local history lesson.

    • fred davie September 10, 2013

      Go cart display=incompatible with park setting Naked mole rate display=compatible with park setting

      • JDHasty September 10, 2013

        There really is no reasoning with people like T1 and other 1960s burnouts who's existence here is perceived through the lens of one living in a parallel universe. Psychoactive drugs like LSD tend to do that to people.

      • tacoma1 September 10, 2013

        What's a naked mole rate display?

        • fred davie September 10, 2013

          damn...where's the exit133 edit button?

  • Published Author RR Anderson September 10, 2013

    move them to the LeMay Museum dome parking lot

    • Tom Layson September 10, 2013

      [quote]move them to the LeMay Museum dome parking lot[/quote] Seriously, that is perfect! Make an F1 track inside a NASCAR tri-oval. All electric copies of F1/NASCAR vehicles with lap timers, pix or video to buy of your race - a modern, thematic, and complimentary from a promotions and affinity perspective. Seriously, those cats should get a call about that idea.

  • thackerspeed September 10, 2013

    I'm pretty sure that the kart concession has been operating for over 40 years. It's the kind of activity that catches the eye of most young men. When I was younger I brought a few young women there to ride the karts too. Call it Blue Collar low-brow entertainment if you like. It's not the kind of entertainment that I would expect the Metrosexual Parks' types to approve.

  • Carl Allen September 10, 2013

    Go Carts suck. Green space is good.

  • Xeno September 11, 2013

    Perhaps the tenant can take residency in one of the City's five billion parking lots? Or better yet, buy some property in the area.

  • C111 September 11, 2013

    Our greatest park welcomes its visitors with the image of a burnt out parking lot with a few ramshackle batting cages and an unkempt track. Not the right fit for a park of the caliber of Point Defiance. I have serious doubts about the claims of the owner and how many visitors he has...if its profitable enough to have at this location, then it can be moved to a more suitable location elsewhere in town. Its time to look forward, and not backward Tacoma.

  • fred davie September 11, 2013

    If the park isn't a suitable place for people to recreate with batting cages and go carts, then why is it a suitable place to recreate with souvenir shops, elephant exhibits, t shirt vendors, Christmas light displays, historical fort displays, boat storage yards, tennis courts, amusement rides, spray parks, etc? I don't see the distinction.

    • tacoma1 September 11, 2013

      Metro Parks was collecting input (a year or two ago) about how the public envisioned Pt Defiance park going forward. During that time, I spoke with someone at the Park, and mentioned to them that it would be my preference that the Go-Kart venue were to leave. He told me that that was the overwhelming sentiment among all commenters. So if the tax payers overwhelming say that the Go-Kart track is inappropriate, then it's inappropriate.

  • fred davie September 11, 2013

    "He told me that that was the overwhelming sentiment among all commenters. " Tacoma 1 Well the type of people who enjoy go karts is mostly kids. Doubt if kids are as plugged into the public process that Metro parks carefully orchestrated . If Metro Parks was to ask kids about the go karts I'll bet the sentiment would be overwhelmingly favorable. My kids go there all the time. It's the main thing they want to do when we visit the park.

    • JDHasty September 11, 2013

      That is entirely consistent with my observation. The Karts have been an integral part of the Point Defiance Park experience for every generation of kids that I have personal knowledge of and that would be going back to the 1960s.

    • Scott September 12, 2013

      Kids don't vote, pay taxes or concern themselves too much with noise poluution or go-cart exhaust either at the Park, either. Not too sure your point has much merit in this discussion, fred.

      • fred davie September 12, 2013

        "Kids don’t vote, pay taxes or concern themselves too much with noise poluution or go-cart exhaust either at the Park, either. Not too sure your point has much merit in this discussion, fred." Scott Wow, you just marginalized the people who will be running Tacoma for the next 50 years or so. Kids who shop in Tacoma ARE paying taxes (sales taxes at least) and their opinions deserve to be heard. Doubt if go cart noise pollution is any greater than the simultaneous rock concerts staged by the Metro parks. If noise is a big problem for you why don't you call Tim Reid and see if he would shut down the rock concerts? Not too sure your point about how meaningless children are has much merit in this discussion, Scott.

  • Jim C September 11, 2013

    That concept statement for the Triangle area is a great example of marketing consultantspeak in the service of nothing. I wonder how much Metro Parks paid some flack to write that garbage. A parking lot qualifies as a "mixed-use development" because people can walk on it? My opinion is that PDP is a primarily kids' and family entertainment destination and the the Karts absolutely fit in to that milieu. Saying they don't and using that as a reason to discontinue the lease for the karts is disingenuous; the motivation for this is clearly revenue.

    • JDHasty September 11, 2013

      ding, ding, ding - we have a winner here. Once you get under the hood and take a look at how these type of "studies" are pout together and deconstruct them the public outreach done is at best manipulative and that is about the most charitable thing that can be said of them. The people doing them are taught in school how to manipulate public opinion and discount or discredit opinion that does not fit with the "desired" conclusion.

  • Paul September 19, 2013

    I saw naked mole rates are way down following the recent Fed meeting. Time to buy!!!

  • Robert Denver September 19, 2013

    Following a trip to Acapulco my naked mole rates are way up!