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Published: July 20, 2010
Updated: 3:15 p.m.
ID card fee for Etnies Skatepark on tap for Lake Forest councilBy ERIKA I. RITCHIE
THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
LAKE FOREST – The City Council on Tuesday is expected to formalize a $5 identification card fee for nonresidents who use Etnies Skatepark and could institute program fees for other services in the city.
The fees, which would generate an estimated $58,550 in annual revenue, allow the city to recover a portion of costs for the services, according to a council agenda report.
•ID card fee for Etnies Skatepark on tap for Lake Forest council
The council will discuss fees for the following services: massage permit application, passport application execution, passport photo, Etnies Skatepark nonresident ID card, nonresident class registration, Teen Lounge and Kids' Factory.
Massage permit application, passport application execution and passport photo services are new services. For the skate park, nonresident class registration, the Teen Lounge and Kids' Factory, the fees – ranging from $5 to $25 – the city will continue to subsidize the majority of the programs costs, according to the report.
A $5 nonresident ID card fee has been in place for the skate park since January, but it has not been consistently enforced, according to city officials. The cards are good for a year.
The skate park has about 60,000 visitors annually, and skaters are required to check in with an ID card. This year almost 3,500 visitors have registered as nonresidents. The card allows skate park staff to monitor attendance and to see how many out-of-town skaters use the park.
"We have some people from nearby cities like Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills freak out when they have to pay $5," Nick Gates, program director at the park said. "But most people appreciate the amenities we have here."
Construction on a major expansion is expected to begin in late August and is scheduled for completion in January. The expansion will make the skate park about 60,000 square feet.
This summer the skate park has seen capacity crowds similar to 2003, the year the park first opened. Attendance at skate events has been high and skate camps have been filled, Gates said.
Christian Fictor, from Laguna Niguel, said the $5 fee isn't a deterrent. The 17-year-old comes to Etnies about three times a week.
"Thirty dollars would be the highest I'd want to pay," he said. "But I would still come. It's got everything here. Perfect rails, stair sets, ledges and bowls."
Lake Forest resident Michael Avila sees good and bad in the fee.
"It would help because the city needs money and it would help the park from not getting packed," he said. "But a lot of my friends who live in other cities might decide to just go skate street if there is a higher fee for them."
Jose Robles, of San Bernardino, is on a two-week skate park tour from San Diego to Santa Cruz with his two sons and a friend. Etnies was the fist park where they had to pay.
"If you can come out here and have the time of your life, it's worth it," Robles said.
The council meets at 7 p.m. in council chambers, 25550 Commercentre Drive.
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| Article Date: 7/20/2010 |
| Source: www.ocregister.com |
