I was watching the City Council on television last week. They were discussing the Skateboard Park. I could not believe the decisions that were made.
First, the city isn’t going to enforce the safety rules at the Skateboard Park. The Council believes that it is the responsibility of the parents to enforce these rules.
Do other organizations in the city use this approach? No.
They police give tickets to youthful speeders. They don’t rely on the parents to slow their children down.
The School District tries to enforce their rules. It is only after they are unsuccessful that they contact the parents.
The city needs a more realistic approach to enforcing the rules at the Skateboard Park.
There were also discussions of giving rewards for those that follow the rules. They want to encourage compliance with a carrot when we should be whacking them with the stick.
And then there was the decision not to supervise the Skateboard Park. The idea that you can build something risky and protect yourself from liability by providing no supervision defies logic.
This concept will stand up until the first major injury.
If the city really believes that they are protected from liability by not supervising facilities, they should apply the concept to other facilities.
Let’s protect ourselves from liabilities at the pool by eliminating the lifeguards. I would also note that they are not needed to ensure that the youthful users of the pool follow the rules. We already know that the city believes that is the responsibility of parents.
The way I see it, the city has two options. First, they can provide supervision at the Skateboard Park and ensure that it is closed down when not supervised. Or the city can raise the Utility Users Tax from 11 to 12 percent and start accumulating money for the personal injury lawsuits that are in our future.
The decision is up to them.
Mr. Supple can be contacted at tomjsup@ca.rr.com
