Loading...
2011-05-04 - Plan Commission - Minutes Board or Commission: ❑ Plan Commission Document Type: 0 A e g nda 0 Minutes Meeting ate: 05/04/2011 Type of Meeting: PUBLIC HEARING BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION May 4, 2011 Xtreme Trampolines, 900 Busch Parkway Special use for a recreation facility in the Industrial District Chairman Smith called the hearing to order at 7:30 p.m. in the Village Council Chambers, Buffalo Grove Municipal Building, 50 Raupp Boulevard, Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Chairman Smith read the Notice of Public Hearing as published in the Buffalo Grove Daily Herald, explained the procedure to be followed for the public hearing, and swore in all persons who wished to give testimony. Commissioners present: Chairman Smith Ms. Bocek Mr. Khan Mr. Stark Mr. Cohn Ms. Myer Mr. Weinstein Ms. Johnson Commissioners absent: None Also present: Mr. Eric Beck, Xtreme Trampolines Ms. Beverly Sussman, Village Trustee Mr. Andy Stein, Village Trustee Mr. Michael Terson, Village Trustee Mr. Mark Sohn Mr. Donald McPherson, USA Gymnastics Mr. Gregg Didech Mr. William Raysa, Village Attorney Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village Planner The following exhibits were presented by the petitioner at the public hearing: Exhibit 1: USA Gymnastic Statement regarding trampoline use distributed by Mark Sohn Exhibit 2: Memorandum from Mr. Pfeil to the Plan Commission dated April 29, 2011 including Mr. McPherson's literature and information Exhibit 3: Analysis of "Injury Rates for Children in Various Sports per occurrence" from Mr. Eric Beck Mr. Eric Beck stated he has an indoor trampoline park in Carol Stream, Illinois and he would like to also put one here in Buffalo Grove. He noted an indoor trampoline park is a very large warehouse with commercial grade trampolines inside. The trampolines are very different from the ones in someone's backyard as they are all interconnected. The kids jump from one trampoline to another. Mr. Beck stated he wants to operate when school is out of session so they open at 3:00 p.m. on weekdays and will be open in summer at 10:00 a.m. People are charged by the hour when they come in to jump and it is somewhere in the range of$12.00 for the first hour and $6.00 for every consecutive hour after that. Mr. Beck stated he plans on hiring about 55 people of which 5 will be managers. It will be approximately 50,000 square feet at 900 Busch Parkway. Mr. Beck reviewed the parking analysis stating one of the big attractions for this building was that it had a very large parking lot. He noted he has run into occasional parking problems in Carol Stream when they have specific weekdays when kids are off and neighboring businesses are still open. This parking lot in Buffalo Grove is very large which is what attracted him to the site. Mr. Beck stated birthday parties will be a big part of their weekend business and they can host multiple birthday parties at the same time. Mr. Beck presented computer diagrams of his court noting he had five courts. He stated a person could jump off the angled walls as well as regular trampolines. He noted he has separate courts divided by age groups. He further noted the dodge ball court which is a big hit with kids. It is basically a trampoline where the kids bounce and then throw balls at each other. He stated they have nets above the pads so that balls and people cannot fall out. He pointed out the foam pit which is another big hit with kids. Mr. Beck stated they will outsource food for birthday parties although they will have food and drinks in vending machines. He stated they show a safety video before people go into the warehouse. He stated it is a 3 minutes long video designed to make sure that people understand what to do or not to do. He stated they also have a court monitor which is a person in a referee shirt at each of the courts to make sure the kids are not getting out of control. They also have railings and safety netting in place so that people cannot fall off the trampoline. Mr. Beck noted these trampolines are 4 feet off the ground with a 4 foot platform so there is a nice level surface between the ground they are walking on and the trampolines. He reviewed the proposed layout for the Buffalo Grove facility which is slightly larger than the Carol Stream facility and will also have two dodge ball courts so he can separate kids into age classifications. Mr. Beck noted this building is ideally suited as it has very large bathrooms, a nice office space and it is mostly warehouse. He noted they are taking about 44 percent of this building. Chairman Smith asked for clarification on the special use criteria. Mr. Beck stated this facility will definitely serve the public convenience at the location. He stated kids will come from a long distance to come here. Mr. Beck stated the location and size of the special use fits this use in particular the parking. Mr. Beck stated there will be no diminishing value of other properties in the area as this is mostly an industrial park and most of the people in this industrial park are going to be 8-5 pm Monday through Friday and w\he will be heavy Friday evening through the weekend. About the only time the neighbors will hear them at all will be during spring break and school holidays when kids are off from school. Mr. Beck noted there are already adequate utilities and access roads as the building already exists. Mr. Beck noted there would be no hindrance to development in the area as it is mostly all build up already. Mr. Beck stated parking is more than adequate. Commissioner Stark asked for the total number of available parking spaces. Mr. Beck stated there will be a total of 168 in the east parking lot. He noted he would probably not be using the south parking lot but what will probably happen is the other tenant in the building will use the south lot for Monday through Friday 8-5 business. Commissioner Stark asked how birthday party participants would be separated from the rest of the public on the trampolines. Mr. Beck stated everyone will be together and the reason for that is the courts need to be segregated by age groups. Commissioner Stark asked how the court monitors operate. Mr. Beck stated they are specifically looking for people not following the rules and they have a whistle they blow when people are misbehaving. They are there mainly to make sure people are not getting out of control. Commissioner Stark asked about the waiver and who is signing. Mr. Beck stated if you are over 18 you sign yourself. If under 18 a legal guardian or parent must sign the waiver for the child. Commissioner Myer asked how many courts or trampolines are assigned to one monitor. Mr. Beck stated they usually do one court per person. On a really slow weekday they may have one monitor watch two courts. Commissioner Myer asked if there are an average number of trampolines per court. Mr. Beck stated it varies. He noted each one is a slightly different size and he has made larger squares for the larger kids so that has fewer squares on it that the court right next to it. Commissioner Myer asked if there are certain weight limitations for the netting to support. Mr. Beck stated he does not know that figure off the top of his head but it is very high. He also noted it is a fireproof and very strong safety netting. He also noted he could get the number if necessary. Commissioner Myer noted we all come in different shapes and sizes and some are larger than others. To that point, besides just an age differentiation, is there anything relative to certain weight restrictions. Mr. Beck noted they had thought about doing it by weight but the problem is when you ask children how much they weigh they are not always sure. They do, however, always know their age. Commissioner Myer asked about staff training. Mr. Beck noted they are taken to an orientation and a manager stays with them for the first two days of training to go over what they should be watching for. Commissioner Myer asked if customers are instructed on a certain way to land in the foam pit or if there are any safety concerns with that. Mr. Beck stated they are not told how to jump into the foam pit. They quickly figure it out themselves and they do need to be careful. He noted they talk about that when they have the safety video on. He noted it is necessary for them to get forward momentum so that they land in the foam pit. Commissioner Myer asked if there have been any accidents in that particular arena. Mr. Beck stated they have had a few accidents in the foam pit consisting of mostly bloody noses. Commissioner Bocek noted the parking analysis seems to show about 75 spaces during peak times. She asked if there is any kind of overlap. Mr. Beck stated it is somewhat of a gray area as he has not been through a summer yet at his Carol Stream facility so he did somewhat guess. He does know the weekends and it is certainly Friday night, Saturday and Sunday which are the busiest times. He state he is projecting that the most parking they will need will be in the middle of the day on a Saturday. Commissioner Bocek asked what the landlord actually allows for parking. She noted that if they lease the other side of the space she wonders if that tenant would be short parking. Mr. Beck stated the lease states he has use of all the unused parking after 5pm on any evening and on the weekends. Commissioner Bocek noted her concern with the red padding on the sides of the trampolines and wonders if it is enough to prevent a head injury of someone falls over. Mr. Beck stated they have not had any problem with head injuries. He noted there is a steel beam underneath there with a nice 2 inch pad on top of that. He stated they find most injuries are happening as they are jumping on the trampolines and land their foot wrong on the black jumping surface. He noted that is the majority of the injuries that happen. Commissioner Bocek asked how many injuries are reported on a monthly basis. Mr. Beck stated the injury rate, which is the most accurate number, is at .2 percent, meaning out of 1,000 people coming through the door, 2 have some kind of injury. He noted he had a comparison handout to baseball, softball, soccer and football that show injury rates for those sports are higher. Commissioner Bocek asked if there is an agreement with the landlord for shared parking if a new tenant also needs more evening driven parking needs. Mr. Beck stated there are currently two tenants in the building in Carol Stream which are both 8-5 Monday through Friday so they have had few problems. During spring break and school holidays a great many kids come and the parking does overflow. He noted they now have sign indicating where they can park and it has all been worked out. Commissioner Bocek asked what age group is the primary customer. Mr. Beck stated it is a very wide range from 3 to 25 year olds. Commissioner Johnson asked if the trampolines are built to any industry standards and how they are inspected. Mr. Beck stated they inspect the trampolines themselves. They are 4 inch tubular steel put together by him. The steel frame cannot get damaged. The Achilles heel is the jumping surfaces themselves. They have ripped slowly so they have seen ahead of time that there is a problem and they replace them. Commissioner Johnson asked how many of the 50 plus employees are on each shift. Mr. Beck stated it depends on the day of the week. Weekends have a lot more employees. He stated the weekdays will have anywhere from 8-12 employees working and the weekends will have up to 20. Commissioner Weinstein stated he was somewhat put off by the web site stating the business would be opening in Buffalo Grove this summer. Commissioner Weinstein asked about the safety video that would be shown. Mr. Beck stated he and staff made the video and he wanted it that way so that he could show what to specifically be careful about. Commissioner Weinstein asked about the training given to the employees. Mr. Beck stated there is an orientation process for everyone they hire. Specifically the court monitors are watched for two full shifts with a manager. They are specifically watching for people getting out of control on trampolines as they jump too high and too fast and too hard. Commissioner Weinstein asked for more specifics on the safety netting such as who makes it, how often it is inspected. Mr. Beck stated it is very heavy duty expensive netting that is fire proof and designed so that no one will fall on the back side. It is held together with cables along the frame of the trampoline. He noted he does not have all the specs on it but could get it to the Commission if they would like. Commissioner Weinstein noted that as a special use the Commission has the right to impose some conditions and one of his concerns is that some of these conditions will be put into an approval. Commissioner Weinstein asked about the need for surveillance cameras. Mr. Beck stated his greatest worry is that when parents drop off large groups of kids a kid might disappear. If it is all on surveillance you can always go to the tape and see who and what. Commissioner Weinstein asked if any adult can sign a waiver form for a child or if it needs to be a parent. Mr. Beck stated only a parent can sign a form. Commissioner Weinstein asked if there are any handicapped participants. Mr. Beck stated no but they will be putting in a handicapped ramp at this facility. It is usually for older adults who come to watch their grandchildren on the trampolines. Commissioner Weinstein noted that the handicapped spots are all on the south lot and if the main entrance is on the east side of the building it may call for a spot or two for handicappers on that side also. Mr. Beck agreed. Commissioner Cohn asked if this industry is at all regulated. Mr. Beck stated no. Commissioner Cohn asked if there is an industry organization for this kind of business that sets standards of safety. Mr. Beck stated no. Commissioner Cohn asked if there was any kind of licensing for employees of this business. Mr. Beck stated all managers have had first aid and CPR training. Commissioner Cohn asked why Mr. Beck came to Illinois with a Washington state business instead of creating a company in Illinois. Mr. Beck stated he lives in Seattle and incorporated in the State of Wyoming and he has a business in Carol Stream. Commissioner Cohn asked if Mr. Beck had consulted with people who had been in this business for longer than six months before putting together the safety video. Mr. Beck stated no and no one would consult with him if he had asked since other businesses look at him as competition. Commissioner Cohn asked if there are any neutral experts in the industry outside of competition who can be turned to. Mr. Beck stated no. Commissioner Cohn asked how they know the kids are really paying attention when watching the safety video and really understanding how to be safe. Mr. Beck stated they have a giant TV and a lot of sound to capture their attention. Commissioner Cohn asked if there have been other injuries besides twisted ankles and bloody notes and if anyone has ever gone to the hospital. Mr. Beck stated they have had some who have gone to the hospital. He noted they have had 15 serious injuries in Carol Stream. He considers an injury serious if they call an ambulance. He noted these were for broken arms, a broken leg, but mostly twisted ankles. He noted what is tough to control are those who have previous injuries and come in and jump like crazy. They should not be there but they cannot control that. Commissioner Cohn asked if special insurance is necessary. Mr. Beck stated yes and liability insurance is the key to have. Commissioner Cohn asked if he has ever had to make a claim for any of these injuries. Mr. Beck said no. Commissioner Myer asked if people have had to be removed from the facility. Mr. Beck stated very rarely. He noted it was usually kids who were trying to stay after their expired time or they were just rough housing in general. Commissioner Myer asked what they do to remove them. Mr. Beck noted they warn them that what they are doing is wrong and then they watch them to see if they continue. If they continue they are asked to leave. Commissioner Myer asked what happens if the parents have dropped them off and left. Mr. Beck noted they have to wait in the lobby until picked up. Commissioner Stark asked why they have come here to Illinois to open this business and not somewhere closer out west. Mr. Beck stated he has lots of ties in Chicago as he lived here with his parents. He further noted he was looking specifically for a major metropolitan area that had a lot of people and he physically wanted to get away from his other competitors. Chairman Smith noted the first criteria of the special use regarding the health and safety of the public is important and asked if Mr. Beck asked what kind of first aid equipment was available at the facility. Mr. Beck stated they would call 911 if something were to happen. Chairman Smith asked how many times 911 had been called at the Carol Stream facility. Mr. Beck stated they have had no head injuries and one neck injury in Carol Stream and they called 911. Chairman Smith asked how many times the paramedics had been called at the Carol Stream facility over the last 7 months. Mr. Beck stated it was 15 times. Chairman Smith asked Mr. Pfeil if the Buffalo Grove paramedics had verified that number with Carol Stream. Mr. Pfeil stated that Officer Newton of the Buffalo Grove Police Department made contact with Carol Stream in early April and the report to Chief Balinski was that he had been advised that since its opening in November 2010 there had been no requests for police service. He said that he has not received a report from the Buffalo Grove Fire Department regarding the history of paramedic calls in Carol Stream. Mr. Sohn stated he is a former ISA State Palm Horse Champion. Trampoline use is a great source of training when used properly under close supervision by a coach. Mr. Sohn stated he now sells commercial insurance and sells gymnastic schools. He stated the use of trampolines requires supervision and competent instruction and proper equipment and safety measures in an environment where these requirements can be met. USA Gymnastics only endorses the use of trampolines in properly supervised professional oriented programs directed by USA Gymnastics professional members. Mr. Sohn distributed a pamphlet from the USA Gymnastics safety manual and noted all the necessary requirements for trampoline uses noting that none of these requirements are being used by trampoline parks. Mr. Sohn reviewed the waiver forms being used noted that you are basically signing off that employees will not be doing anything for you. Mr. Sohn further noted that at the Carol Stream facility from its opening through March 5th there were 13 calls requiring EMS treatment. He noted he has also learned they are now starting to use private ambulance service instead of calling 911. Mr. Sohn noted there is no instruction in these types of facilities regarding the use of a pit. Diving into a pit will kill you and you need to land feet first. He noted a loose foam pit needs to be flushed every 30-40 times to keep it fluffy and safe. Commissioner Cohn asked why Mr. Sohn came here tonight. Mr. Sohn stated he just does not want to see a kid become a paraplegic and it will happen in these facilities. Commissioner Khan stated that the USA Gymnastics manual reads much like the instructions on the back of many medicines sold throughout the country. He noted that even driving daily is one of the most dangerous activities we all take part in. He stated that it possibly is a shared responsibility between the owners of these facilities and the parents who allow their kids to take part in these activities. Mr. Sohn read a statement in response to Commissioner Khan's statement. He said the concept is great. Promote the activity in support of the trampoline. Your methods are dangerous and you are treating and promoting profiting from the trampoline by using it as a toy. A trampoline is a piece of apparatus and such a device used for a purpose. The most important ingredient in the rush to get rich that is missing is qualified people to operate the facilities. The dangerous approach that you are promoting is guaranteed to lead to catastrophic injuries and has already done so at one of the original parks. Please look to your conscience and think about the risks you are subjecting all of these unsuspecting children and uneducated adults. Uneducated adults are attracted to something that is shiny, big, new and attractive. When using a trampoline irresponsibly serious injuries are going to happen at an unreasonably high level. Unfortunately common sense flies out the window when obscene profits are dangling before us. You are selling out your soul for the money. The trampoline parks of the 50's and 60's died for these reasons. Mr. Sohn stated trampolines are a great training tool under the right directions only. Mr. Beck stated every year 27,000 kids go to the emergency room from traditional trampoline facilities. So saying that we are very dangerous and they are very safe is completely untrue. He stated they have a vested interest in him not opening this facility. Mr. Donald McPherson, 2 South 581 Danbury Drive, Glen Ellyn, Illinois stated he has owned several gymnastic schools over the past 33 years and currently has the longest open school in the State of Illinois. He sits on the Illinois committee for USA Gymnastics and is the safety chairman for the national committee. He is also a recognized expert in the United States and Canada and has testified in many courts across the country and Canada including the Supreme Court. Mr. McPherson responded to Commissioner Khan's medical analogy by stating that the public has a reasonable expectation to be protected from certain things. That means when parents bring their children to a place like this there has to be a series of parts in place and in the event a child gets hurt they will be attended to properly. Mr. McPherson stated he has been at the Carol Stream facility over 20 times since it opened. He described the safety video he had observed as being totally inadequate. He then noted a father of a three year old bouncing on the trampoline with his child. This is double bouncing and extremely dangerous to the child. At the second deck he observed 37 kids of all ages bouncing on one trampoline checkerboard style. It is not even a question of if but of when a serious injury or death occurs. The next deck was for dodge ball where balls are thrown to someone on another trampoline. Two brothers were on different trampolines and when the ball was thrown it hit one of the brothers. Also, the foam pit was compacted and hard as a rock. Mr. McPherson stated that on more than one occasion he saw teenagers who reeked of alcohol and marijuana at Carol Stream. Another observation were the various piercings on some of the kids who were allowed into the loose foam pit. These piercings can be ripped off and are very dangerous. He also noted the release forms are falsely signed by the teens in the parking lot and this needs to be prevented. Mr. McPherson noted the Wyoming incorporation should be checked out as they are probably layered. An attorney would have to pierce the corporate veil because insurance may not be sufficient. Mr. McPherson stated this facility is a public hazard. Commissioner Bocek asked why Mr. McPherson is not working harder on a state level or nationwide toward safety regulations for this type of athletics or recreational activity. Mr. McPherson stated he has been with his state legislator and it is a very long process which he is about to embark on. Commissioner Bocek asked Mr. McPherson if he has tried to approach Mr. Beck to see if they could create a set of guidelines and safety precautions to help improve the situation. Mr. McPherson stated that usually he is contacted by the entire industry. Unfortunately after his four month long observance of the Carol Stream facility he has nothing to offer this industry because it starts with the safety manual where only one person can bounce on a trampoline at a time. There is no revenue stream in that and therefore have nothing to offer them. Commissioner Stark asked of Mr. McPherson gave this presentation to Carol Stream. Mr. McPherson stated he was never called about it. Commissioner Stark asked how he knows about this facility. Mr. McPherson stated he originally saw the website started by Xtreme Trampolines. A few days later he received a call from a doctor at DuPage Hospital. Mr. Raysa noted written documents had been submitted by Mr. McPherson to Mr. Pfeil. Mr. McPherson noted he submitted his CV, USA position statement on trampoline use and a technique article for fire and rescue personnel and a position statement from the American Association of Orthopedic surgeons to Village staff. Mr. Pfeil noted that the emails and attachments sent by Mr. McPherson were forwarded to the Plan Commission members electronically. Mr. Beck passed out a handout of injuries of children in various sports noting injuries of children in his industry compared to major sports such as baseball, softball, soccer and football. This was a report put out by the American Academy of Pediatric Journals. He stated that compared to a lot of the other sports, and specifically soccer, there are 21 injuries per thousand soccer games. At his facility it is 2 injuries per thousand. Mr. Beck noted there were so many inaccuracies stated by Mr. McPherson that he cannot even begin to address them. He invited the Commission to come to his facility at Carol Stream to see for themselves what is happening there. Commissioner Cohn asked if there is any statistics on severity type of injury. Mr. Beck stated he is including every injury and noted if they get someone an ice pack and they have to sit down they consider that an injury. Commissioner Bocek asked where these statistics came from. She further noted that he should be addressing the fact that it has been alleged that the management team is very young and inexperienced and that the safety manual does not really address most of the safety issues. Mr. Beck stated Mr. McPherson has so very many things to say he cannot address all of them and asked that everyone come to his facility and judge for themselves. Mr. Beck asked which specific allegations he should address. Commissioner Bocek noted things like the multiple kids on one trampoline, the fact that there is no supervision and the fact that the manager is actually the person who works at the front desk and the fact that employees are not really trained to handle the injuries that happen on the trampoline. Mr. Beck stated they only allow one person per court and that is also on the safety video. Sometimes they do not do that in which case if caught they blow the whistle and make them stop. He noted they cannot, however, catch ever single case. He stated their managers are not working the front counter. There is specific staff to work the front counter. He noted he has a manager that is in an office off the front counter whose job it is to rotate through the facility and make sure everything is going OK. They are floating around the facility. On busy days they will have two managers to watch. These managers have been through CPR and first aid training. Commissioner Bocek asked if Mr. Beck had read the guidelines highlighted by Mr. McPherson from the USA Gymnastics safety guide. Mr. Beck stated he did skim through it. Commissioner Khan asked how much time Mr. Beck has spent at the Carol Stream facility since its opening. Mr. Beck stated he is there about 50 per cent of the time. Commissioner Khan asked if the 5 managers were actually full time people or part timers. Mr. Beck stated they have lots of different cases although all managers are over the age of 18. Many are in community colleges and some are in high school but managers are all full time. Commissioner Khan asked how kids using drugs have been handled. Mr. Beck stated they do not drug test or breathalyze anyone. If they find a problem they just kick them out. Chairman Smith asked if the safety video shows anything about the proper way to land in the pit. Mr. Beck stated they mention that they be sure to have forward momentum going into the foam pits. They do not talk about the way they land. He noted he does not agree with the previous statement that there is only one way to land in the pit. Commissioner Johnson asked if the same safety video is shown to the 3 year olds as to the 18 year olds. Mr. Beck stated there is only one video. Commissioner Myer asked if piercings are addressed. Mr. Beck stated they are told to take off glasses and metal objects and any sharp objects should also be taken off. Ms. Monica Kubicek, 443 Douglas Drive, Lake Forest stated indoor activities are needed for kids especially in the winter. She took her kids to the Carol Stream facility and stated there is a safety issue with kids drinking in the parking lot and wonders if anyone is actually watching the cameras in the parking lot. She stated the night she was there there were over 300 kids there with only five trampolines. There is a trampoline for ages 3-7 which had about 8 kids there. So for the other four trampolines there were at least 50 kids jumping on them. There is one person monitoring each trampoline and there was one teenager per court watching over 60 kids jumping on the trampolines. It would have been very difficult to even see if there was an injury with so many kids around. Ms. Kubicek stated the monitoring when you enter is by color. She does not know how they control for how many kids are in there. Also people at the counter do not control kids going in and out no matter what age. While they were there one girl did hit her head and she went to the bathroom while one of the managers was looking for a first aid kit. There was no control and a lot of pandemonium. Mr. Martin Sussman asked how a person can open a new business here and live 2000 miles away from that business and keep control of it. Mr. McPherson stated he has several published papers that have to do with gymnastics and safety in the industry which are used all over the country. He is also a safety certifier who certifies all the coaches in this country and he is stating and testifying that there is only one safe way to enter a pit and that is feet first. Trustee Sussman asked if Mr. Beck had referred to any other written material or handbooks or safety information before opening the establishment. Mr. Beck stated no. Trustee Sussman stated in comparing what Mr. Khan said about medication to safety, there is a big discrepancy. When she takes a pill she reads about all of the possible side effects. If she has any of these side effects she calls her doctor or she stops taking the pill immediately. When talking about safety here we are saying that once a child is hurt there is no turning back. She noted she would like to see the 3 minute safety video. She also stated it seems absurd that one video exists for a 3 year old up to a 24 year old. There is no way for all these people to watch the same video. Also, she stated that jumping into a foam pit is an accident waiting to happen. She further noted that the differences even between a 3 year old to a 7 year old are extremely vast. Trustee Stein asked what the inspection entails and how frequently inspections are done. Mr. Beck stated he inspects once a week underneath and on the sides The most important spot is underneath and it is inspected weekly. Trustee Stein asked how frequently the foam is changed out in the pit. Mr. Beck stated they rotate the foam once about every two weeks. Trustee Stein asked what the protocol is for the pit if someone bleeds there. Mr. Beck stated they have to throw away anything with blood on it and put new in. Trustee Terson asked if Mr. Beck is open to the idea of making a new video or two to address the issue of younger children versus older and such. Mr. Beck stated they can do that and they would have to think about how many different groups to divide that into. He would be amenable to that as long as it is a reasonable number of groups. Trustee Terson asked if Mr. Beck would be willing to change the way he administers the foam pit or gives direction or instruction to someone who has never been there and improving safety conditions in the foam pit. Mr. Beck stated yes. Trustee Terson asked if USA Gymnastics has a position on a facility such as Buffalo Grove Gymnastics doing birthday parties and such. Mr. McPherson stated the difference is the coaches there are certified and have been trained. Even if it is a 17 year old boy or girl they are gymnasts who have had specialized training. Trustee Terson asked what makes it safer for his son to jump in the foam pit at Buffalo Grove Gymnastics versus Xtreme Trampoline. Mr. Greg Didech, 100 Lake Boulevard, Buffalo Grove, stated they have one coach per 10 kids. They do no flipping and it is a fun situation. It is swinging in the ring and jumping into a pit, doing parachute and that is about it. Trustee Terson asked if trampoline parks are illegal anywhere. Mr. Mc Pherson stated they should be allowed in its present form anywhere in the country unless it can be with supervised personnel that have years of training. Trustee Terson stated he is curious what the percentage of total participants are that have been injured in other activities, some athletic and some recreational such as a facility like Pump It Up, soccer, BGRA baseball, Bill's Football, laser tag at ESkape, etc. Some of the things that teenagers are doing in parking lots at some of these facilities have nothing to do with the activity in that place of business. We must ask ourselves if we are going to legislate parenting. Trustee Terson noted that children get hurt and even killed in many sports allowed in Buffalo Grove. Anyone can buy a trampoline and set it up in their backyard and there is nothing to stop it. Commissioner Cohn noted his daughter goes to Buffalo Grove Gymnastics and has had a birthday party there. He stated in the pit there is a high school gymnast as well as above the pit. He stated it is not anything dangerous and this business is a totally different world. Mr. Beck stated he truly wants to apologize for putting his name on the website and did not put it out there presuming that he would get approval. He noted he had to get it up there to scare away his competitors. There being no further comments or questions from anyone else present, Chairman Smith closed the public hearing at 10:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Fay Rubin, Recording Secretary APPROVED BY: ERIC SMITH, Chair Board or Commission: ❑ Plan Commission Document Type: 0 A e g nda 0 Minutes Meeting ate: 05/04/2011 Type of Meeting: ❑ Regular Meeting REGULAR MEETING BUFFALO GROVE PLAN COMMISSION May 4, 2011 Xtreme Trampolines, 900 Busch Parkway Special use for an indoor Recreation facility in the Industrial District Chairman Smith called the meeting to order at 10:25 p.m. in the Village Council Chambers, Buffalo Grove Municipal Building, 50 Raupp Boulevard, Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Commissioners present: Chairman Smith Ms. Bocek Mr. Khan Mr. Stark Mr. Cohn Ms. Myer Mr. Weinstein Ms. Johnson Commissioners absent: None Also present: Mr. Eric Beck, Xtreme Trampolines Mr. Donald McPherson, USA Gymnastics Mr. Mark Sohn Mr. Gregg Didech Ms. Beverly Sussman, Village Trustee Mr. Andy Stein, Village Trustee Mr. Mike Terson, Village Trustee Mr. William Raysa, Village Attorney Mr. Robert Pfeil, Village Planner APPROVAL OF MINUTES Moved by Commissioner Myer, seconded by Commissioner Cohn to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of April 20, 2011. All Commissioners were in favor of the motion and the motion passed unanimously with Commissioners Smith, Stark and Johnson abstaining. COMMITTEE AND LIAISON REPORTS Commissioner Myer attended the April 25, 2011 board meeting at which there were no referrals to the Plan Commission. Commissioner Weinstein attended the May 2, 2011 board meeting at which there were no referrals to the Plan Commission. However, the Plan Commission now has a new chairman in Eric Smith and a new Commissioner in Ms. Johnson. XTREME TRAMPOLINES, 900 BUSCH PARKWAY — SPECIAL USE FOR AN INDOOR RECREATION FACILITY IN THE INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT Moved by Commissioner Weinstein to recommend approval to the Village board of a Special Use for a recreation facility at the premises located at 900 Busch Parkway subject to: 1. A number of handicapped parking spots will be relocated to the east side of the lot at the main entrance to the premises. 2. A safety video or videos will be required which will be viewed and approved by Village staff and possibly emergency response services. 3. That safety net and guard rails may not be removed and are subject to periodic inspection by Village staff. 4. Foam pit procedure to be approved by appropriate personnel at the Village. Commissioner Khan asked if another item could be added to the motion. He stated he would like to see the five full time employees be actual full time employees and not just after school teenagers that change from week to week. Commissioner Weinstein stated it would be impossible to enforce. Commissioner Khan seconded the motion. Commissioner Cohn stated he thinks this is a very bad idea and noted that special use criteria number one gives the Commission the authority to vote no if the commission does not agree that the special use will serve the public convenience at the subject property and more particularly, if the establishment, maintenance or operation of the special use will not be detrimental to or endanger the public health, safety, morals, comfort or general welfare. He stated this whole concept is detrimental and endangers the public health, safety and general welfare and for not meeting those criteria there should not be a favorable vote. Commissioner Cohn stated his biggest issue is that there have been experts who really understand the injuries associated with this type of operation who provided sound testimony based on facts. Mr. Beck did not really respond with facts and evidence in kind. This does not belong in our community and I will vote no. Commissioner Weinstein stated he actually disagrees with Commissioner Cohn and feels there is some level of doing things at your own risk and understanding what those risks are and being able to make a free choice of what you want to do or if a parent or adult wants to do this they are entitled to do this. He noted Buffalo Grove has a skate park that is open to the public and skateboarding and roller blading are dangerous and we do not monitor them and actually put apparatus there for them to increase the number of injuries probably. We do probably need to put some guidelines in place but at the end of the day it is not the business that will cause an injury to the public but individuals making a choice. We do not have enough facts yet in this industry to say we have a lot of injuries. A six month window of statistics is probably not enough and it would be nice to have statistics from a number of facilities around the country. In his mind the petitioner has met the burden and can justify the special use. Commissioner Bocek stated she too is concerned for the safety of the public. Her concern is that the safety manual is not really based on anything. It is not based on even gymnastic industry standards and we did not get to see it. As far as the actual recreation aspect some of the responsibility for that comes with the parents and the children's ability to listen and follow directions. But her concern relates to the lack of information not given and is therefore not in favor of this special use approval. Chairman Smith called for a vote on the motion and the vote was as follows: AYES: Khan, Weinstein NAYS: Bocek, Stark, Cohn, Myer, Johnson, Smith ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None The motion failed 6 to 2. CHAIRMAN'S REPORT Chairman Smith welcomed the new trustees, Stein and Terson as well as the newest member of the Plan Commission, Joanne Johnson. FUTURE AGENDA SCHEDULE Mr. Pfeil noted that the next meeting date is June 1, 2011. PUBLIC COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS None STAFF REPORT Mr. Pfeil noted that staff is continuing to work on the Village Sign Code. The draft code will be forwarded to the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Plan Commission for review before it goes to the Village Board. NEW BUSINESS—None ADJOURNMENT Moved by Commissioner Myer, seconded by Commissioner Khan and carried unanimously to adj ourn. Chairman Smith adjourned the meeting at 10:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Fay Rubin, Recording Secretary APPROVED BY: ERIC SMITH, Chair