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Recommendation to receive and file report on April 18, 2007 El Dorado West Skate Park public meeting; and
Refer the following suggestions to the Parks and Recreation Commission for review and approval:
A) Remove the requirement that users of the skate park must wear
protective gear or face citation by Park Rangers.
B) Improve the signage at the skate park informing users that they
are skateboarding at their own risk.
C) Utilize a full time recreation leader at the skate park to engage
the youth who skate there.
D) Establish a public-private partnership that will enable
improvements in the skate park.
E) Involve skaters in cleaning up the skate park and setting specific
days and times for skate park events.
F) Explore how the design of the skate park might be enhanced to
meet the concerns of users who complain about its poor,
non-functional design.
DISCUSSION
On April 18, 2007 the Long Beach's 5th District Youth Council conducted a public meeting to discuss safety issues related to the EI Dorado Skate Park. A meeting was called after a plastic awning near the skate park was set on fire and burned away completely. Additionally, some members of public had discussed temporarily closing the park.
Fifth District Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske asked the 5th District Youth Council to hold the meeting and to have Dr. Lydia Hollie, Chair of the Long Beach Youth and Gang Violence Prevention Task Force provide the Youth Council with training about how to conduct a public hearing that is respectful and inclusive. This experience was not only a public process to discuss issues related to the EI Dorado Skate Park, but also an experience in civic duty for several members of the 5th District Youth Advisory Council. The panel for the hearing consisted of Youth Council Members, Chair, Mackenzie Martin, Joseph Robinson, Ben Garcia, Secretary Ben Tolksdorf, and Shannon Diaz. Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske and Dr. Hollie were also on the panel.
Minutes of the meeting were taken by, Marla S. Camerino, who provides clerical support to the Park, Recreation and Marine Department. Those minutes are attached for your review.
Several individuals testified at the hearing:
. Phil 1. Hester, Director of Parks, Recreation and Marine, City of Long Beach
. Harry Saltzgaver, Chair of Recreation and Parks Commission, City of Long Beach
. Chrissy Marshall, Recreation Bureau Manager, City of Long Beach
. Lt. Joseph Stilinovich, Long Beach Park Ranger Program
. Steve Van Dorn, Community Relations Director, Vans Skate park at the Block
. Ed Croft, Recreation Manager, City of Irvine
. Rafael Coleman, Public
. Robert Winn, Public
. Ray Olsen, Public
. Wilson Taylor, Public
. Mike Donelon, former councilmember, City of Long Beach
. Mike Pusera, Public
. Kirt Peterman, Public
A number of important facts came out of this hearing, which are the basis of the recommendations included in this report. Additionally, one item of special note that was Steve Van Doren of Van's offer to donate fifty skateboard helmets and padding to the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine for use by skaters at the EI Dorado Skate Park. Van's owns and operates several private skate parks as well as manufactures gear and shoes. (Following the meeting, Anthony Batts, Chief of Police, provided Councilwoman Schipske with the attached report on "Request for Calls for Service and Crime Statistics Data at EI Dorado West Skate Park.")
After the hearing was conducted, the 5th Council Youth Council held an additional meeting on June th, to review the hearing minutes and to approve the following recommendations which they are forwarding to this City Council for approval:
A) Remove the requirement that users of the skate park must wear protective gear or face citation by Park Rangers.
Many activities undertaken by users of the City parks involve a risk of some sort without the City enforcing the use of protective gear. For instance, baseball and soccer players are not required by the City to wear protective gear in order to play on City fields and are not cited if they fail to wear protective gear.
Moreover, many users of the skate park cannot afford to purchase protective gear, and the citation of $200 for failure to wear the gear is a great financial burden on many of the families from which the users come. Furthermore, the citations are not done on a consistent basis since there is no supervision at the park. Finally, users of the skate park often ride the public transit system to get to EI Dorado Park and cannot carry helmets, skateboard and padding gear.
(Testimony was given that not one city has been sued since public skate parks have been installed. Users of these parks understand they are assuming a risk.) Chief Batts is his report that of the 57 "requests for service" at the skate park, 31 were for "failure to weak safety equipment."
B) Improve the signage at the skate park to inform users that they are skate boarding at their own risk and that it is recommended to wear safety equipment.
Signs should be graphically appealing and sufficiently large enough that skaters can read them. Signs should show skate boarders wearing protective gear as encouragement to do the same. The safety gear donated by Van's could be available for those who wish to use safety gear.
C) Utilize a full time recreation leader at the skate park to engage the youth who skate there.
Many of the youth using the skate park do so as their only safe outlet and to be with other youth. Instead of using Park Rangers to issue citations against youth, several cities utilize recreation leaders who know how to skate as a way of engaging these youth in activities. The current situation in Long Beach does not provide a positive engagement for the hundreds of youth who use the skate park.
The only experience most have with city employees -- is with Park Rangers who issue them citations for failing to wear safety gear that they cannot afford to purchase. Park Rangers should only be called to the skate park when there is a problem that the park leader cannot handle.
D) Establish a public-private partnership that will enable improvements in the skate park.
The donation of helmets by Van's is a start in what could be a positive publicprivate partnership to improve the skate park and to offer skaters safety gear if they want to wear it. A recreation leader can check out the donated helmets and padding being donated by Van's. Additionally, the City should explore other public-private partnerships with companies such as Coca Cola, Pepsi or Tony Hawk (a major skate board manufacturer and guru) to raise needed funds to address some of the issues presented by skaters about the inadequacies of the skate park in its design and maintenance.
E) Involve skaters in cleaning up the skate park and setting specific days and times for skate park events -- such as younger age skater days and times.
Residents who bring their young children to the skate park have expressed concerns that the mix of young children, older youth and sometimes adults in a very confined space to skate causes problems. By establishing specific times for each age group (as is done in the Belmont Shore Pool), this problem would be eliminated. It is further recommended that recreation leaders schedule specific activities at the skate park (i.e. contests; etc.) as another way to positively engage the youth who are using the park.
Skaters have indicated that they want to be involved in what happens with the skate park and that they have a "code of conduct" among themselves about taking care of things around the skate park when there is trouble. It is recommended that these same skaters be involved on a regular basis in clean up and painting the skate park and surrounding areas.
F) Explore how the design of the skate park might be enhanced to meet the concerns of users who complain about its poor, non-functional design.
A consistent complaint of the users of the skate park was its poor design, lack of maintenance of the concrete and the fact that it is non-functional for current skate board use. Specifically, the shortness of the ramps and the lack of rails and other structures on which to "grind" were cited.
TIMING CONSIDERATIONS
[Timing Considerations]
FISCAL IMPACT
[Fiscal Impact]
SUGGESTED ACTION
Approve recommendation.
BODY
[Enter Body Here]
Respectfully Submitted,
Respectfully submitted by: Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske, Fifth District
Attachments: Minutes, April 18, 2007 Public Hearing on the EI Dorado West SkateBoard Requests for Calls for Service and Crime Statistics Data at EI Dorado West Skate Park
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GERALD R. MILLER |
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CITY MANAGER |