Title
Ordinance Amending Chapter 19 of the Greensboro Code of Ordinances with Respect to Parks and Recreation - Enact Section 19-3 Safety Equipment at City Skate Parks and Pump Tracks
Body
Department: Parks and Recreation
Council District: All
Public Hearing: N/A
Advertising Date/By: N/A
Contact 1 and Phone: Shawna Tillery, 373-7808
Contact 2 and Phone: Wade Walcutt, 373-2964
PURPOSE:
City Council approval is requested to enact Section 19-3 of the Greensboro Code of Ordinance Regulating Safety Equipment at City Skate Parks and Pump Tracks. The requested amendment adds compliance with Article 3 Chapter 99E of the North Carolina General Statutes.
BACKGROUND:
The North Carolina Legislature recognizes the exposure to liability from lawsuits for hazardous recreational activities such as skateboarding, inline skating, or freestyle bicycling may have discouraged local governments from opening facilities for these activities, and therefore enacted Article 3 of Chapter 99E of the North Carolina General Statutes.
The City of Greensboro has two facilities opening soon which will fall into the hazardous recreation activity category. Construction of the Glenwood Skate Spot was completed in mid-December and construction will begin at the Latham Skate Park in early January. Both the skate spot and skate park will be unsupervised and will be operated as a dawn to dusk neighborhood park. The City also opened a bicycle pump track at Keeley Park in 2016. Under these circumstances per Article 3 of Chapter 99E of the North Carolina General Statutes limits liability of damages that might arise out of a person’s participation in hazardous recreational activities on municipal property when the municipality adopts an ordinance requiring the use of certain protective equipment and posts appropriate signage. Rules and regulations covering the requirements of Article 3 Chapter 99E will be placed at the skate spot. skate park, and pump track and any future skate parks in the City of Greensboro.
BUDGET IMPACT:
This item will have no budget impact.
RECOMMENDATION / ACTION REQUESTED:
The Parks and Recreation Department recommends approval to enact Section 19-3 of the City of Greensboro Code of Ordinances Regulating Safety Equipment at City Skate Parks and Pump Tracks for limited liability of damages for participants skating or riding on municipal property.