Sky Zone To Take Leap Of Faith: Orland Village Board Hearing Set

ORLAND PARK, IL — One last hop to the Village Hall gives Sky Zone Orland Park a chance to bounce back. The trampoline park will appear before the Village Board of Trustees at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 25. The hearing comes as an attempt to overrule Village Manager George Koczwara's Dec. 18 decision to revoke its license, after a fight that occurred in the facility last year violated fire code safety, and over 840 people — mostly minors — were found inside.

Sky Zone's legal team will appear before the board at the Village Hall, 14700 S. Ravinia Ave. It is unclear if witnesses who gave initial testimonies will be in attendance. The hearing will be open to the public with limited attendance allowed, to enable social distancing. If an overflow of people decide to come, they may watch in the lobby, according to the village.

On Sept. 12, a fight occurred inside the recreational facility, 66 Orland Square. Orland Park Mayor Keith Pekau told Patch 842 people, plus staff members were in the facility when police arrived. Sky Zone's maximum capacity is approximately 682 people. The trampoline park was hosting a lock-in event, which Patch previously reported various Sky Zones across the country were no longer hosting due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Orland conducted private hearings to take a look at evidence and consider possibly revoking or suspending its license. The hearings took place on Sept. 30, Oct. 6 and Oct. 16, according to the village. Testimonies of 10 village-called witnesses and two witnesses called by Sky Zone were included. The village said that within the testimonies there were multiple and repetitive reports of concern regarding the safety and welfare of attendees at Sky Zone that night.

The village said Sky Zone's regional manager testified her opinion, saying the trampoline park and its employees "did everything correctly and followed the correct protocol to keep the patrons and the employees safe." Koczwara disagreed, saying the argument is "an alarming and dangerous corporate perspective."

Koczwara called the incident a nuisance and said the business disregarded the safety of the minors both inside and outside the facility. The village manager said the overcrowded park has a floor plan that has obstacles to egress in the event of an emergency — such as this one — that lead to children being evacuated late at night, without knowing each child got a ride home.

"An entertainment business whose sole business model is to attract children into its indoor park is particularly responsible because children at this young age are not able to protect themselves from harm," Koczwara said.

Orland said Sky Zone can petition the village for reinstatement of its business license 90 days after the business is closed, and the license is officially revoked.