A supervisory position at the Watauga County Skate Park
could be axed due to budget considerations, with park attendance
down and complaints continuing to roll in.
Watauga County Parks and Recreation director Stephen Poulos presented
a report as part of the county’s budget-planning process
that recommended moving the cost for a park attendant into other
programs that saw more use.
In a memo to the county commissioners, Poulos said attendance
had declined due to weather and school hours, and said based on
staff observations, park users were still violating posted requirements
to wear helmets and pads. The use of helmets has been a contentious
issue, with the commissioners debating last summer whether to
close the park completely.
Skateboard riders and skaters had also expressed unhappiness with
a security firm hired to enforce the rules and ask people to sign
waiver forms upon entering the facility, which the county converted
from a basketball court. The Appalachian Skatepark Council, which
funded equipment and ramps for the site, had asked the county
for authority to supervise the park itself.
Mason Jones volunteered to supervise the park without pay, and
the commissioners agreed to keep the park open on a trial basis
and allow skaters to regulate themselves. Poulos said Jones had
achieved some success, but couldn’t be at the park during
all its operating hours.
In his memo, Poulos said the Recreation Commission had consulted
Boone Police Chief Bill Post about the impact of the park on town
skating violations. Post told them that if the skate park closed,
the town had the resources to enforce rules prohibiting skating
on public property and sidewalks. Post reported that such violations
had declined 30 to 50 percent since the skate park opened, though
reports of skating on the Greenway Trail had increased.
When the park was supervised by security, an average of nine skaters
used the park per fair-weather day. “When the security guard
was replaced by a skate park attendant, usage increased but did
not approach the levels prior to the supervised period,”
Poulos said.
“Watauga County Parks and Recreation and the Recreation Commission
are of the opinion that the best method to insure proper conduct
at the skate park is to only open on a supervised basis,”
Poulos said. “However, the Recreation Commission also felt
that, with the Town of Boone’s unexpected budget cut of $44,800
(to recreation programs) as well as current economic conditions,
it would be difficult to recommend monies to supervise the skate
park, due to the low usage numbers during and after the supervised
period.
“From a budgetary standpoint, other parks and recreation
programs serve a significantly greater number of county citizens.
For example, in 2007 our youth soccer program fielded 68 youth
teams and involved 693 participants. The program generated an
estimated $36,090 in revenues with an estimated cost , not including
full-time staff salaries, of $39,457. If the skate park was opened
every hour available, it would open approximately 2,330 hours...based
on participant numbers during supervised usage, this does not
seem to be an effective use of county resources.”
The county commissioners agreed to allow the private Appalachian
Skatepark Council to develop the park on county property in March
2006. Last July, the commissioners agreed to hire a security firm
to supervise the site due to lack of helmet use, but many skaters
were unhappy with the supervision and quit using the park.
After the commissioners debated closing the park in October, the
council asked if it could provide voluntary supervision, an effort
that Poulos reported had met with mixed results.
RELATED VIDEO
Get Firefox