City of Folsom will no longer oversee its skate, bike park. Here’s why
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Folsom ends 22 years of staff supervision at Cummings Skate and Bike Parks.
- City cites state safety codes and liability risks as reason for policy change.
- New signage will replace staff to enforce helmet and pad requirements by law.
The city of Folsom will no longer supervise Cummings Family Skate and Bike Parks for the first time since its opening in 2003, beginning this summer.
The City Council rejected a community petition Tuesday night, which asked to loosen the rules for its safety equipment enforcement. Residents have considered these rules to be restrictive, discouraging skaters from using the parks, according to a community petition.
Folsom leaders decided to remove staff supervision over the parks, but will continue to inform residents about the facility’s rules by posting additional signage stating park rules.
For the past 22 years, the city oversaw residents at its skate park and bike park to provide a “safe and family friendly” environment, said Tom Hellmann, the city’s recreation and community services manager, during the council meeting. Staff, who worked for the Parks and Recreation Department, would monitor activity during the parks’ hours, operate lighting in the facility and provide emergency on-site assistance to visitors.
Residents originally came to the Folsom City Council with criticisms about the park’s entry requirements. Currently, helmets, knee pads and elbow pads are needed to enter both the skate park and the bike park, Hellmann explained. If residents used parks without this equipment, they would be issued a warning, be removed from the park or receive a $50 monetary citation.
The community petition states that the policy discouraged skaters from using the park. To ensure the continuation of safety in both parks, residents requested that additional safety notices be posted publicly. These signs would explain the risks of not wearing safety equipment and the benefits.
“The current mandatory equipment policy has deterred many potential users, resulting in significantly lower participation at our skate park compared to others in the area,” wrote Brian Buxton, a resident of Folsom. “We believe that reducing these restrictions will promote greater use of the facility while still emphasizing the importance of safety through strong recommendations and visible signage.”
Hellmann said because of California Health and Safety Code 115800, the city cannot remove its current requirement because the law states an “operator of a skateboard park shall not permit a person to ride a skateboard or other wheeled recreational device in the park, unless that person is wearing a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads.”
Folsom staff said this code does not allow them to change the park’s language to only strongly encourage equipment. But to meet some of the petition’s requests, the City Council decided to change the park to be unsupervised, Hellmann said.
Councilmember Barbara Leary expressed concern about the city becoming legally liable if a resident injures themselves at either parks.
“It’s really hard for me to ignore the potential for a life-changing injury,” Leary said. “I’ve seen a lot of them, having worked on the trauma service for many years. I’d really like to see some more educational efforts, maybe go out to the community through the means we have of sending messages out there.”
Steven Wang, the city attorney, said the new signs will act as a tool to defend the city in case of a lawsuit after they’re installed.
“I would not recommend any deviation from what we have, what the council has in terms of the immunity or liability defense,” Wang said. “This is part of the shield that we have, in the event that somebody does hurt themselves and decides that they want to sue the city.”
This new rule will become effective at the skate and bike park on July 1.
