Will Nebraska Skate Parks Reopen?

Several Nebraska skate parks were closed this fall when their insurance coverage was threatened. Skateboarders and community leaders have been shaken by a State Supreme Court ruling that changed the 25-year understanding that the Nebraska Recreational Liability Act covered public recreational sites, making them immune from lawsuits in the case of injuries. Many skate parks had insurance that hinged on this understanding. Two national skate park experts, Heidi Lemmon from Skate Park USA, a California based non-profit organization, and Doug Wyseman an independent risk management consultant from Ontario, Canada and author of a brochure "Risk Management and Skate Parks," react to the closings. Wyseman debunks the belief that skate parks ARE a high liability risk to communities. Several Nebraskans also react, including the attorney who brought the law suit before the Nebraska Supreme Court that led to the skate park closings, a state senator whose home town's skatepark received a $25,000 grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation and is one of those now closed, and two Nebraska skateboarders. Since skateboarders and community leaders nationwide have faced problems getting skate parks built and/or keeping them open, this segment could appeal to folks in many communities.