Naperville Park District commissioners last week voted 5-2 to keep the skate park at Frontier Park free for users, but the facility will be unsupervised.
District Executive Director Kenneth Brissa said an attendant was at the park to supervise last year, but the job has since been hard to fill as it is considered undesirable by district workers.
If the district hired a supervisor for the park without charging users a fee, the cost to the district would be $23,000 to $25,000.
“Skaters don’t do things any more or less than any other athlete,” Brissa said, adding that the district opens itself to more liability if the park is supervised.
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Commissioner Scott McKibbin said he prefers the skate park be supervised.
“The free and unsupervised park we tried, and it was a failure,” McKibbin said. “There was a lot of complaints from the neighbors.”
McKibbin said the skate park fit in the same category as Centennial Beach and the paddle boats as a special-use facility.
Other commissioners disagreed, backing the staff’s recommendation.
“These young 12- to 14-year-olds need a place to go, and I think it should be free,” said Commissioner Sally Kirk, who participated in the the meeting by telephone.
The Park District plans on installing pay phones and posting signs at the park with guidelines for users.