Not a free-for-all park

Tania Chatila

For Keith Hamm, the Verdugo Skate Park was convenient. It was close

to home, concrete and free, he said. All obvious advantages for the

skateboarding enthusiast.

But a move by the Glendale Parks and Recreation Commission just

might turn Hamm, and other adult users of the city’s skate park --

who are not residents of Glendale -- away.

The commission unanimously approved charging adult non-resident

skaters for using the skate park, effective Sept. 1.

“This is one way we will be able to continue the same services and

offset costs,” said P.J. Mellana, a Parks and Recreation community

service supervisor. The skate park, in the 1600 block of Canada

Boulevard operates on a budget of $138,000, $65,000 more than it took

to operate the city’s previous skate hub, Orange Street Skate Park,

he said. The Orange Street Skate Park was open from 3 p.m. to dusk

daily, while the new Verdugo Skate Park is open daily from 10 a.m. to

10 p.m., Mellana said.

“This is mainly to offset the cost of the increased hours of the

new facility and to keep up its staff during those time frames,”

Mellana said.

The skate park’s staff oversees the facility, tracks liability

forms and responds to accidents. The skate park employs two staff

members, said Armond Agakhani, chairman of the commission. Though the

fee hike will not effect those under 18 or Glendale residents, the

city will charge adult nonresidents for usage passes -- $2 daily, $15

for one month, $30 for three months and $90 yearly -- Mellana said.

“It’s something we had to do,” Agakhani said. “The other

alternative would have been to decrease the hours, and we didn’t want

to have to do that.”

Users say that the move will turn non-Glendale skaters away.

“I just want to be able to show up someplace and ride my

skateboard and not have to worry about paperwork and paying,” Keith

Hamm said.

Hamm lives in Echo Park, but is a regular user of Glendale’s skate

park. He heard about the fee hike through fliers posted at the park.

“I feel like I want to stop coming to the skate park,” he said.

“And the fees aren’t that much, but that’s not the point. It’s kind

of a burn, being able to skate the park for free for the last year

and a half and then have to show up some day and pay.”

Skateboarders are not going to want to pay, and will stop coming,

Hamm said.

“It’s a huge issue,” said Glendale resident Dave Carnie. “There’s

pluses and minuses to it. Obviously, they want to staff the park,

ensure the skateboarders are behaving themselves, but having been

skating for over 30 years now, I’ve skated all over the world and

only it’s only here in America that skateboarders can’t police

themselves on their own.”

Adult nonresident skaters will ultimately go to cities like Chino

and Upland, where fees are not required, said Carnie, staff writer

for The Skateboard Mag.

“To me it’s absurd to have to pay to have someone baby-sit me,”

Carnie said.

But the majority of the accidents at the skate park are involving

adult nonresident users, Mellana said, another reason why the city

will be implementing charges.

“There is this perception through America that when a skateboarder

falls down, they’re going to crack their head open and sue the city,”

Carnie said. “But adult skateboarders know it’s skate at your own

risk.”

The city will evaluate the fee implementation in one year to

assess whether revenue will cover new expenses, Mellana said.

“I’m sure we’re going to have some people that won’t be happy with

a new fee, but its something that needed to be implemented.”

QUESTION

Should the city charge nonresident adults for using Verdugo Skate

Park? E-mail o7gnp@latimes.comf7 or write to News-Press and Leader

Community Forum, 111 W. Wilson Ave. Suite 200, Glendale, CA 91203.

Please include your name and tell us your hometown and phone number

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