Submitted by KM Hills.
Several months ago I left a comment which referenced the “improvements” the City of Lakewood made at Harry Todd Park and the lack of Life Guards at the City owned beaches.
As I finished a swim Tuesday evening, at Harry Todd Park, I noted the local youth doing just as I had predicted, jumping from the new fishing pier. As you can see from the picture not only are they jumping from the pier but from the top rail, about 3 feet higher.
I question the City approved design of the pier, to be that high off the water. Is the fishing better from that height? It is my belief the Parks Department has put the City at risk of litigation, when someone does get hurt. That could come to fruition when someone slips and falls back to the pier itself, gets hurt landing wrong in the water (potentially in water that is too shallow) or if someone dives off and gets stuck under one of the water level docks, which is within feet of the pier itself.
How is it that no staff from the Parks/Planning Departments or members of the Citizens Advisory Board didn’t envisioned the potential risks? I question how long it will be until the tax payers are on the hook for a multi-million dollar law suit.
Apparently, the city engineers are worried about sea-level rise as arctic ice and glaciers melt…in an inland lake.
Applications for safety consultant positions were pre- selected…
People who try to make the world too safe and too insured are similarly making it too dull and making it harder for people to have fun for free.
How about personal accountability and people being responsible for themselves, or parents being responsible for their own children? What a concept!
Personal/Parental responsibility is a great concept! Clearly NOT happening in the picture.
As far as making the world too safe and dull to have fun all I can say is have fun at your own expense.The Citt of Lakewood has set itself up for it to be @ the Tax Payers expense. No Thanks.
An argument can be made about the liability,doesn’t mean that the argument wins… personal responsibility , and parental supervision is still valid and important, do you know where your child is?
The city of lakewood is ruining my home town. That being said
Let the kids swim. Its not the taxpayers responsiblity. Put up signs “no jumping off the dock,”
People are going to do what they want.
Lakewood changed pace and made improvements in a low-income area for once. The writer mentions a lack of lifeguards. This is a Nationwide problem this summer as workers want higher pay, post-pandemic. These jobs are remaining unfilled. Maybe Lakewood should raise their minimum wage and then be called socialist for that? Instead we get some litigious-hungry wannabe lawyer threatening a lawsuit, instead of having a low-income area enjoy a new pier.