By Jon DePaolis, Richard Free Press:

ORLAND PARK, Ill. — A settlement agreement has been reached between the Village of Orland Park and Sky Zone Trampoline Park that will allow the business to continue operating and keep its business license as long as it strictly follows guidelines set by the Village.

The agreement was approved by a 7-0 vote by the Village Board of Trustees Monday, Dec. 20, after an executive session discussion.

"I believe it is a good result at the end of the day based on what happened and then the court case [that followed]," Mayor Keith Pekau said.

In September 2020, the Orland Park Police Department responded to an incident at the Sky Zone, located at 66 Orland Square Drive, that led to four arrests and an observation by officers that the building occupancy had been exceeded. This led the Village to revoke the business license of Sky Zone later that year. However, a Circuit Court of Cook County judge ruled in November that the Village needed to reconsider the matter.

The Village issued a press release announcing the agreement on Tuesday, Dec. 21, stating that Sky Zone will be allowed to renew its business license if it permanently implements "very rigid, rigorous and stringent conditions at its Orland Park location." Those measures include: closing the park at 9 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays; hiring a security firm to work on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, from 7-9 p.m.; eliminating Glow Nights; not exceeding the occupancy level for the entire premises; continuing to track the number of the people inside the park and maintaining a staff-to-guest ratio of no less than 1-to-20; and paying for a sweeping company to clean the parking lot and the outdoor areas and contracting with a waste management company to empty its trash area at least three times a week.

"The aforementioned conditions were not in place when Sky Zone held a Glow Night on Sept. 12, 2020, which put a number of children at risk, but each shall now remain in place permanently," the Village press release stated. "Should Sky Zone fail to comply with these conditions and/or fail to remain in compliance with all federal, state and Village laws and regulations, including the Village Code, the Village will once again take the necessary steps to revoke or suspend Sky Zone's business license and the settlement agreement with Sky Zone will be used as proof of a past adjudication of violations of the Village Code."

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