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City To Hire Attendants For Skate Park

Jesse Osbourne/Highlands Today

Timothy Blackman, 14, clears a ramp at the Sebring Skate Park on Wednesday afternoon. Blackman has been skating for a year-and-a-half. The park will soon have an attendant to watch over the skaters and the grounds.

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By MANDY SHEETS | Highlands Today

Published: October 5, 2007

SEBRING — Sebring Skate Park, one of the most happening afternoon hangouts, will soon have an attendant watching over it.

Skaters will pay an annual user fee of $30 to cover the costs of an attendant working from 4-9 p.m. Monday through Friday – the park's busiest times.

City council members approved the hiring of an attendant to best protect the city from potential lawsuits and to enforce the park's rules.

Rob Ross, senior loss prevention consultant with Public Risk Management, said the state grants statutory immunity to cities with skateboard parks. Loopholes exist that leave the city open to potential lawsuits, Ross said, such as failure to obtain written consent from participants under 17.

"Without supervision, you open yourself up to a liability issue," Ross said. "You can't be sure that
everyone who is using the park has signed a consent form."

Skaters under 17 also account for 75 percent of emergency room visits related to skateboard injuries, according to National Electronic Injury Surveillance System compiled by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Council member Margie Rhoades said she thinks having an attendant on duty is a proactive response to potential problems.

"I work with the age group that uses this park, and I hear about what goes on there," said Rhoades, a middle school teacher. "I think it would be very beneficial to have someone there all the time watching over things."

Skaters formerly registered at the police department, paid a $5 annual fee, signed a liability waiver form and received an identification card and sticker to display on his or her helmet.

City Administrator Bob Hoffman said the attendant will likely be in place within two weeks, and all skaters will have to reregister, pay the $30 fee, sign the waiver and obtain a photo identification card, which will be used for admittance to the park. Registered users of the park will receive mailed instructions about the procedure.

Hoffman said by imposing the user fee, taxpayers will not be burdened by the $12,000 per year expense of an attendant. The attendant will be paid $8.74 per hour, and officials plan to ask off-duty school crossing guards to work the shifts.

The police department will monitor the park while the attendant is not on duty.

Many skateboarders at the park Wednesday afternoon said they think an attendant will help eliminate problems like bikers and non-skaters on the ramps and vandalism.

David Martineau, 19, said he thinks the $30 per year fee is a little pricey.

"There are a lot of other bigger parks where you can go that are better and cheaper," he said. "It's frustrating because (City Council) gave us this nice park, but it's almost like they don't want us to enjoy it."

Martineau, who uses the park daily, said skaters do a good job of policing the park on their own.

"Every time I see someone without a helmet, I tell them to put it on," Martineau said. "We try to keep everyone in line because we don't want them to take the park away."

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