Is sledding at Skinner’s Hill a safe way for Austin children to have fun? Maybe, but getting to the hill may be the real danger.

Friday, February 09, 2001

Is sledding at Skinner’s Hill a safe way for Austin children to have fun? Maybe, but getting to the hill may be the real danger.

On Thursday, members of the Austin Park, Recreation and Forestry Board said parents who are dropping off their children at the top of the hill instead of the parking lot below are putting them at extreme risk.

Board member Gary Quednow said he was driving by the hill a week ago and witnessed a vehicle almost hit a young lady. Quednow asked Park, Recreation and Forestry Director Denny Maschka to place signs on the west side of the top of the hill, similar to the signs on the east side to discourage parking in that area.

Maschka told the members of the board he will call Police Chief Paul Philipp and ask him to have his officers advise parents to drop off their children at the bottom of the hill. He also will contact City Public Works Director and Engineer Jon Erichson to discuss the signage in the area.

After the meeting, board member and City Councilman-at-Large Dick Chaffee stressed the importance of the message to parents: "Parents need to be discouraged from any area on top of the hill."