Opportunity for input

Jeff Walker
Published: September 2, 2008

For Kathi Walker, the bottom line is safety first. Mrs. Walker is the wife of Culpeper County supervisor Steve Walker. (She is not related to the writer of this column.)

Kathi is also the chairwoman of the Town of Culpeper Parks and Recreation Commission. The commission serves to advise Town Council on recreation matters and programs.

The commission has been busy revisiting the skatepark located in Yowell Meadow Park. When talk of bad language, increasing debris and continuing safety concerns came up again, Town Council sent word to the commission to look at the possible solutions.

According to Mrs. Walker, the commission has been down this road before. There have been several times since the skatepark’s creation when rules, safety and usage have come into question.

She confirmed the recent list of options include: leaving the skatepark as is; selling the equipment to a private party and shutting down the skating area; opening it with limited hours or keeping it open with additional mechanisms in place to allow for supervision.

Another likely scenario includes the skatepark being closed for maintenance when necessary.

Walker said the supervision would likely be a combination of staff and volunteers. Walker said that if rules become ordinances, they can be enforced. But, she emphasized the rules would pertain to the entire park, not just the skating area.

So a person riding through the park on a bike for exercise would have to wear a helmet just like the users of the ramps and walls.

But it is expected that the skaters will follow the rules. Mrs. Walker emphasized safety in the park is one of the main goals of the commission.

The few skaters who attended the commission’s August meeting said they would wear their helmets, if it meant whether the park stayed open or not.

According to Culpeper’s skaters, the helmets are hot and they don’t like to wear them. So they don’t.

Alas, many of them probably don’t like to eat Brussels’ sprouts, either. But how often do the little cabbage-like vegetables land them in the emergency room?

Here is some medical insight, from the folks who often patch the skaters up: The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) reports skateboarding injuries cause about 50,000 visits to the emergency room each year.

Around 1,500 children and teens are hospitalized as a result of related injuries. Most of these injuries, serious or minor, involve head trauma due to lack of protection.

The AAOS also reports that 60 percent of skateboard injuries involve children under age 15, mostly males. Lack of protection accounts for the high percentage in the under-15 set, as does lack of experience. The novice skater may be trying stunts or moves that he is not ready for, thus opening himself up to greater risk.

And parents of younger wannabe skaters pay heed: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says “Children under age 5 years old should never ride a skateboard.” And that children ages 6 to 10 “need close supervision from an adult or trustworthy adolescent whenever they ride a skateboard.”

nINTERESTED? Are you a skater, parent, orthopaedic surgeon or other concerned citizen who is interested in attending a meeting or making suggestions prior to the meeting?

The Town Parks and Recreation Commission’s regular monthly meeting is scheduled for the last Tuesday of each month. The meeting is held in the third- floor conference room of the Municipal Building, 400 S. Main St., Culpeper, beginning at 7 p.m.

You may contact Culpeper’s department of Planning and Community Development at 829-8260.

Jeff Walker is an independent columnist who lives in Culpeper. He appears Wednesdays in the Star-Exponent. E-mail: