Reopened roller rink hits brakes again
Less than a week after San Francisco’s Church of 8 Wheels opened for the first time in more than a year, city officials notified its founder, the Rev. David Miles Jr., that he would have to close its doors once again.
The indoor roller rink at 554 Fillmore St. reopened to dozens of jubilant Bay Area skaters on Friday after a yearlong hiatus due to the pandemic. By Tuesday — only its fourth day offering skate sessions — Miles said he received a violation notice from City Attorney Dennis Herrera that stated “a city inspector observed 1520 skaters using the indoor rink” and “unfortunately, indoor roller skating rinks are not yet allowed to open in San Francisco.”
The letter acknowledges the confusion around the roller rink’s technical category under the city’s pandemic reopening tiers. San Francisco is still in the red tier — which allows gyms and fitness centers to operate indoors at 10% capacity — but is expected to move to the orange tier next week, city officials said. There’s still no word yet when the city may move into the yellow tier, the least restrictive category that will allow most indoor businesses, family entertainment centers, movie theaters and more to open at 50% capacity.
Meanwhile, Miles said he thought the Church of 8 Wheels was categorized under the gym and fitness category, which was why he made moves to reopen.
The Church is classified as a family entertainment center.
“I think the classification they have (roller skating) under is wrong,” said Miles, who began hosting skate nights at the Church in 2013.
Miles said he spent more than $12,000 to get ready for the rink’s reopening, putting in an upperair ultraviolet sterilization system, hospitalgrade UVC lights and sanitizing supplies.
For the few days the rink was allowed to open last week, less than 30 socially distanced skaters were allowed to skate at the indoor rink during designated sessions. Those who took a spin were greeted with a mask mandate and a temperature check at the door. The mood — not just in the rink but around the whole neighborhood — was ecstatic, Miles said.
It was “like a symbol of goodness, a symbol of moving on,” he continued. “It’s not just a roller rink, it’s a part of the community. … It felt great, like winning the lottery or something.”
Miles has been refunding people for the rink’s upcoming events and figuring out what to do about his staff, which he had to rehire, only to close up in a matter of days. It was a hard blow on top of an even more challenging year. Just days before the city went into lockdown in 2020, Miles was informed by the Church’s building owners that a variance was being sought to bulldoze the property for new condos.
“Rollerskating rinks all over the country are dying, and they’re not coming back,” he said. “I’m trying to tread water here with this, but it’s not like this isn’t hurting me.”
Still, Miles hasn’t given up hope yet. He plans to still operate Skatin’ Place, a Friday night rollerskating event at Golden Gate Park that started as a pandemic tradition. He’s also hopeful the city will move into the yellow tier this year, and he knows that when the Church is able to open its doors again, his devout followers will be there ready to roll.