The City of Albert Lea will provide paid supervisors for the Albert Lea Skate Park this summer, but they won’t have to pay the supervisors.

Tuesday, April 09, 2002

The City of Albert Lea will provide paid supervisors for the Albert Lea Skate Park this summer, but they won’t have to pay the supervisors. The Skate Park Association will provide the funding.

The deal was finalized Monday when the city council approved the hiring of two additional summer staff to work at the skate park, with only council member Warren Amundsen dissenting.

For its part, the association agreed to pay for the two staff, including social security and worker’s compensation. If the staff members work the full number of hours the park is anticipated to be open during the summer, the cost would be approximately $5,000, said Paul Evenson, an association spokesman.

Besides the city’s Parks and Recreation program, Evenson said the association also consulted with Community Education and Express Personnel Services, but was unable to work out anything with either organization. The association was mainly looking for someone willing to provide a structure for hiring staff, he said. The city, with its active summer Parks and Recreation program, was the logical choice for a partner.

While the city hires a large number of part-time employees each summer, the skate park positions would be unique in that these staff members would also be responsible for handling money – the park’s entrance fees – and may require additional supervision, according to Paul Sparks, city manager.

Aside from salary, the association will also provide a cell phone, donated by Midwest Wireless, and is planning on building a small office/storage building at the skate park, for the supervisors to use but also for storing helmets and other movable equipment.

The association plans on staffing the park with volunteers on weekends in May and September, and opening up the park as weather permits, said Evenson.

The park will be open from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays in May and September, and then every day in June, July and August – weather permitting. Daily entrance fees will be the same as last year: $5 for one day or $25 for a 10-admission card.