The Park Ridge Park District is looking for solutions to an ongoing problem involving unruly and disrespectful teens using a popular park district facility.
That was the word from park district officials who outlined issues reportedly occurring at the Centennial Fitness Center, 1515 W. Touhy Ave., during a meeting of the park board of commissioners on Feb. 3.
“It’s just constant for the staff and it’s disappointing the increase in disrespect we’ve seen in the past few years,” said April Armer, superintendent of recreation. “It’s very difficult (for staff) to manage and they don’t get a break.”
Park District Executive Director Gayle Mountcastle said the park district has dealt with problematic youth at the fitness center before, but of late, the behavior has “just accelerated.”
Mountcastle described the issues as occurring “almost nightly” and involving different groups of teens — with all areas of the center impacted, from the gym to the racquetball court to the indoor pool.
The incidents have involved teens acting disrespectfully toward staff and adult members of the center, not listening to staff instructions, not using fitness equipment for its intended purpose, throwing balls on the track and not properly following mask requirements. There was also a recent incident where a patron was shoved and knocked over, she said.
“There are so many good kids, but there just seems to be a consistent group of different teenagers who are really wrecking it for the rest of them,” Mountcastle said.
There have been so many issues lately that the fitness center has stationed staff members in the gym, but that has not necessarily changed the behavior, Armer indicated. She explained that on the night of Feb. 2, some teens were being “pretty terrible” to a staff member and refusing to leave the gym when asked.
“Even when you have someone right there, there are groups of kids that don’t care,” she said.
Last fall, the park district briefly suspended fitness center privileges for youth who were not members of the center due to an alleged incident of poor behavior among young people.
According to Mountcastle, the incident involved more than a dozen teens between middle and early high school age who refused to follow staff instructions and refused to leave the building for not following the rules. A staff member was shoved as the group attempted to access the workout room upstairs, the director told the board.
Police were called and the three youth who were still present were told they were not allowed back at the fitness center, police said.
Shortly after, the park district began requiring non-members under 18 to have their photo taken for an ID when attending drop-in activities. Youth are also now required to have a waiver signed by a parent that is kept on file.
Fitness center staff are talking to parents of youth who have caused issues, when the teens are identified, the board was told. There was not a discussion of whether memberships will be revoked when it is members who are identified as failing to properly follow rules.
Park District Spokeswoman Margaret Holler said each incident is reviewed and individuals have been temporarily banned from the center “as warranted” due to their behavior.
Park Board Commissioner Melissa Hulting questioned if the park district should warn fitness center users that more restrictions will be put in place if the poor behavior continues.
“It makes me so angry,” she said.
Park Board President Cindy Grau questioned if surrounding park districts may have ideas for dealing with the issues.
“I hope we don’t have to close it down to all the kids,” Grau said.