Audie Murphy Skate Park: Good idea gone wrong?

Youths breaking the rules by bringing in bicycles and not wearing helmets are just some of the skate park's problems. Menifee 24/7 file photos

The skate park in Menifee's Audie Murphy Ranch on Newport Road has been the source of complaints virtually since the day it opened in May 2014. Residents living in the community made it clear Wednesday night that the situation is getting worse, not better.

In what obviously was an organized effort to make a strong united statement to the Menifee City Council, Audie Murphy Ranch residents helped pack the council chambers and 15 of them spoke passionately about what they consider a public nuisance.

The skate park has become a popular destination for skateboarders of all ages, and not just from Menifee. Because it is new and features a large, deep bowl for skaters, the park attracts youths from Orange County, San Gabriel Valley and beyond. Unfortunately, along with the park's popularity has come a long list of complaints from neighbors, including:

-- Near-collisions between motorists entering the community on Derby Hill Drive and skate park users lingering by their parked cars, sometimes with the street-side door open.
-- The smell of marijuana at and around the park.
-- Trash, including empty beer cans and condoms, scattered throughout the area.
-- Lack of supervision or an attendant.
-- A portable toilet on site that residents residents describe as "disgusting," with no signs of regular maintenance and many signs of illegal activity.
-- Drivers speeding through the neighborhood.
-- Young adults who refuse to wear helmets or obey posted rules, sometimes cursing and intimidating others in the area.

"This adversely affects our quality of life," said Mark Worley, one of the residents who spoke during the meeting. "You say the city is understaffed, that you can't afford enough police, but what happens if someone is killed out there?

"We brought this to the attention of the HOA and we were told it is the city's responsibility. I'm begging you for swift action. My dad always told me the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Well, we're ready to sound like a wheel with a whole bearing that's going out."

This is not the first time city officials have heard such complaints. In August 2015, the City Council approved an expense of $175,000 on security enhancements, including higher fences and security cameras. Residents complained that the cameras were not functional, however, and Community Services Director Robert Lennox later admitted that the original equipment was not sufficient and had to be replaced.

The biggest complaint residents say is not being addressed, however, is the lack of an attendant to enforce the rules and supervise activity there. Whether expense is the problem or a concern about liability is unclear. But in an Aug. 20, 2014 Menifee 24/7 news article, Lennox said, "We feel it's better to use a measured approach. As soon as you say the park is personally supervised, you get into different liability issues."

In that interview, Lennox said a state code provides protection to cities regarding liability when a skate park is provided with rules posted or with security cameras for supervision. As soon as an on-site supervisor is stationed there, the city takes on more liability and thus more potential cost, he said.

To residents, that explanation doesn't solve the problem. They just want answers, and soon, many saying they were promised action by city officials that hasn't come.

"The city needs to step up and do what they promised in the first place," said resident Rick Davis. "We were told the park would be monitored. They had a security guard for three months -- an elderly gentleman who was bullied by the older kids."

"I received an email from Robert Lennox saying the porta-potty was only temporary until the fall," said Audie Murphy resident Melanie Besson. "Well, it's the fall and we've seen no movement."

Council members are prohibited by the Brown Act from directly engaging in conversation with residents following their comments in the three-minute period they are allowed to speak. But council member Matt Liesemeyer, who represents the district in which the skate park sits, spoke briefly about the issue and agreed with residents about similar concerns he has had.

"It's obviously a much bigger problem than we thought it was," he said. "You've heard me say it from Day One; somebody's gonna be killed out there. There's been skid marks on the streets there since the first day."

City manager Rob Johnson said the portable toilet was placed outside the skate park because the sports park's restroom is located on the other side of the park. Lennox added that planned construction of a separate restroom by the skate park was delayed because officials were unaware of how far away the sewer line was, making the issue more complex.

"If the porta-potty is not there, people will not walk to the restroom," Johnson said. "As an unintended consequence of taking away the porta-potty, you would have more issues."

Lennox said city staff visit the park daily to pick up trash and that the city is in the process of taking bids for the restroom and sewer construction. The issue of an attendant was not addressed by city officials. Council member John Denver began to list what he felt were the options, including "leave it alone" or "tear the whole thing down" when he was interrupted by city attorney Jeffrey Melching, who said the discussion of a non-agenda item was about to exceed the limits of the Brown Act.

Ultimately, council members voted 4-0 to refer the matter to the Parks, Recreation and Trails Commission for review and to send a report back to council at a future date. Mayor Scott Mann was absent.