The Kofu Skate Park on Ham Lane is currently shut down due to property damage and Lodi's parks and recreation department is trying to figure out whether it's worth reopening. (Courtesy photo)

Will city continue to roll with the skate park?

Is the Kofu Skate Park worth keeping around?

While the park on Ham Lane is shut down for the winter due to property damage, Lodi's parks and recreation department is trying to determine just that.

Since the park opened in June 2002, it's been as much of a nuisance to the city as it has been a recreational hub.

When Spohn Ranch constructed the 20,164 square-foot concrete slab and ramps, the $540,000 skate park was supposed to be one of the Lodi's crown jewels. But when the company wasn't getting the return investment it had hoped for operating the pay-per-use park — and the city declined to subsidize the park's staff because of budget woes — it backed out of the contract only a year into the deal.

In June 2004, the skate park reopened as a free, skate-at-your-risk venue. But in the years since, the park has regularly been subject to vandalism and misuse, not to mention park visitors who often ignore safety rules or have failed to submit the mandatory one-time registration and waiver forms. The park's rules and regulations are clearly posted on signs at the park, but such signs have been uprooted or stolen by vandals in the past.

The park is currently shut down in part because the ramps have been damaged by BMX bikes, which are prohibited from the park, Lodi parks director and superintendent Steve Dutra said. In addition, the park's perimeter fence has been damaged by people breaking into the park after hours.

The parks department's engineer estimates it will cost roughly $12,000 to $15,000 to repair current damages.

So again, the question begs: Is the skate park worth keeping? Given the limited funds of the parks department, Dutra plans to pose that question to the Lodi Parks and Recreation Commission at its Feb. 5 meeting. He encourages Lodi citizens, for or against keeping the park in operation, to attend.

In the meantime, Dutra is preparing statistical information for the commission.

"What experience have other agencies had with their skate parks, and have any closed due to financial constraints?" Dutra said. "How many accidents have we had and how many times have the police been called upon the scene?"

If the commission determines the park is worth keeping, Dutra says, then the repairs will be made and the park will reopen this spring. If not, the skate park could be replaced by two full-sized basketball courts.

Lodi Parks and Recreation supervisor Mike Reese, who oversees the park for Lodi's recreation division, says he'd like to keep the skate park in operation.

"I like the amount of use that it receives, though I wish it got more," said Reese, who noted that the park currently has several hundred registered users. "We have some pretty good crowds out there. In good weather times, I've seen more people skating than I have playing basketball (at Blakely, Peterson, Hutchins and Legion parks.)"

Then again, Reese added, park attendees must treat the park with proper respect.

"The users have not taken good care of the park," Reese said. "Both with trash and BMX bikes — and that's where most of the damage for the park has come from."