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Home My WebLink About8.3 Facility Use Policies OF DU AGENDA STATEMENT PARKS AND COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMISSION MEETING DATE: January 11, 2010 SUBJECT: Facility Use Policies for Tennis Courts and the Emerald Glen Park Group Picnic Area Report by Paul McCreary, Assistant Director of Parks & Community Services ATTACHMENTS: 1. Draft Tennis Court Use Policy 2. Draft Emerald Glen Group Picnic Area Use Policy RECOMMENDATION: Receive report and recommend approval of proposed policies to the City Council FINANCIAL STATEMENT: None DESCRIPTION: The City Council adopts Facility Use Policies for all park areas that aze available for rental by the community. These Facility Use Policies establish the rules, procedures and fees governing the use of the facilities. Due to the opening of the Fallon Sports Park in summer 2010, Staff is proposing changes to the Emerald Glen Tennis Court Use Policy to add the new courts at Fallon Sports Park. Attachment 1 is the draft of the new Tennis Court Use Policy. The Emerald Glen Group Picnic Area Use Policy was first adopted in May 2006 and has not been updated since. This was the City's first rentable picnic area. Based on the City's experience with four years of picnic rentals, Staff is proposing changes to the policy and rental fees to help streamline rental procedures and address minor problems that have occurred. Following is a summary of the proposed changes to the existing policies. CLASSIFICATION OF USERS The Use Policy establishes user classifications that help determine the priority for making reservations and the rental fees charged. For both Use Policies, Staff proposes reducing the number of classifications as there is little difference between some of the classifications and the assigned reservation priorities and rental fees. The following table shows a comparison of the current and proposed user classifications. COPIES TO: ITEM NO.: 8.3 G:TARKS COMMISSIOMAGNDSTMD2010U-11 Item 8.3 Picnic and Tennis Policies.doc CURRENT USER GROUP CLASSIFICATIONS PROPOSED USER GROUP CLASSIFCATIONS Group 1- City of Dublin Group 1- Public Agencies Group 2- Public Agencies Group 2- Dublin Chamber of Commerce, Dublin-based Group 3- Dublin Chamber of Commerce Charitable and Social Welfare Organizations, and Homeowners Associations Group 4- Dublin-based Charitable and Social Welfare Group 3- Individuals or other Groups Organizations, Homeowners Associations and (Resident and Non-Resident distinctions) Sports Leagues Group 5- Individuals or other Groups Group 4- Commercial Uses (Resident and Non-Resident distinctions) (Resident and Non-Resident distinctions) Group 6 - Commercial Groups (Resident and Non-Resident distinctions) The proposed changes to the classifications are the same that were presented to the Commission last month in relation to the Sports Field and Gymnasium Use Policies and include: 1. Elimination of City of Dublin as a user group classification. 2. Combining the Chamber of Commerce with the other Dublin based charitable and social welfare organizations. 3. Modifying the definition of commercial uses. This makes the Tennis Court and Group Picnic Area Facility Use Policies the same as other City rental policies. PROPOSED TENNIS COURT USE POLICY MODIFICATIONS Staff is proposing minor housekeeping revisions to the Tennis Court Use Policy and adding the Fallon Sports Park to the list of courts available for rental. Staff also recommends loosening the regulations on security deposits and liability insurance to only require them from rentals for league play, tournaments or commercial uses. These types of applicants are typically charging a fee for participation and bringing more than a few of players to the courts. This increases the risk compared to a resident wanting to reserve a court for casual play. The only other proposed modification to the Tennis Court Use Policy is to remove the rental fee for court lights. Since the tennis court lights are on-demand and can be turned on by the general public for free, Staff recommends eliminating the light fee for court rentals. PROPOSED EMERALD GLEN GROUP PICNIC AREA USE POLICY MODIFICATIONS Staff proposes eliminating the security deposit for the picnic area and requiring payment of rental fees at the time of application. Cunently rentals must pay a$100 security deposit at the time the rental application is submitted and then pay the rental fees 30-days prior to the rental date. With over 140 bookings for the picnic area in 2009, processing security deposit refunds and tracking rental payments is extremely time consuming to administer. Based on the City's experience with hundreds of rentals to date, there has not been one incident where damage resulted in the need to retain the security deposit. Staff also proposes modifying the liability insurance regulations to require insurance from applicants that bring inflatable jump houses into the picnic area, or are granted vehicular access to the park, which is discussed on the following page. 2of4 Vehicular Access . When the Group Picnic Area Use Policy was adopted language was included to regulate vehicular access to the picnic area, which is located in the middle of the park. The regulations required applicants to sign a special waiver and provide insurance to obtain a vehicle access permit to display in the vehicle. parties were limited to one vehicle at a time. They were required to use the access path on e eastem edge of the park and exit the park area immediately following delivery of equipment and suppli s. There have been ongoing problems with groups not adhering to these regulations. This includes having multiple vehicles accessing the picnic area and not exiting the park as required. This becomes even more problematic when there are three groups renting the picnic area each bringing two or more cars. Additionally drivers are not always following the approved access path, and instead driving past the children's playground which could be a potential liability for the City. Therefore, Staff recommends prohibiting vehicular access to the picnic area. Requests to exception to this policy could be made to the Parks and Community Services Director, and would only be considered for groups renting the entire picnic area. If vehicular access was granted, a Facility Attendant fee of $15 per hour would be added to the rental fees to provide City Staff to monitor the vehicular access. Group Picnic Area Rental Fees The group picnic area rental fees have not been adjusted since they were adopted in 2006. Staff has conducted a survey of fees charged by other municipalities in the Tri-Valley and found that Dublids fees have fallen below the market average. Therefore, Staff recommends the following fee increases. DUBLIN DUBLIN GROUP # PICNIC AREA DESCRIPTION CURRENT PROPOSED Public Agencies, Dublin Chamber of Commerce, Dublin Charitable, Groups 1& 2: and Social Welfare Organizations Area A (seats 56) $19.00 $23.00 Area B (seats 48) $16.00 $20.00 Area C (seats 96) $32.00 $40.00 All Areas (seats 200) $67.00 $83.00 Use for Purposes of Fundraising Area A (seats 56) $42.00 $53.00 Area B (seats 48) $36.00 $45.00 Area C (seats 96) $72.00 $90.00 All Areas (seats 200) $150.00 $188.00 Group 3A Individuals/Other Groups - Resident (BASE RATE _$1.25 PER SEA7) Area A (seats 56) $56.00 $70.00 Area B (seats 48) $48.00 $60.00 Area C (seats 96) $96.00 $120.00 All Areas seats 200 $200.00 $250.00 Group 381ndividuals/Other Groups - Non-Resident Area A (seats 56) $67.00 $84.00 Area B (seats 48) $58.00 $72.00 Area C (seats 96) $115.00 $144.00 All Areas (seats 200) $240.00 $300.00 (continued on following page) 3 of 4 DUBLIN DUBLIN GROUP # PICNIC AREA DESCRIPTION CURRENT PROPOSED Group 4A Commercial Uses - Resident Area A (seats 56) $75.00 $93.00 Area B (seats 48) $64.00 $80.00 Area C (seats 96) $128.00 $160.00 All Areas (seats 200) $267.00 $333.00 Group 46 Commercial Uses - Non-Resident Area A (seats 56) $90.00 $112.00 Area B (seats 48) $77.00 $96.00 Area C (seats 96) $153.00 $192.00 All Areas seats 200 $320.00 $400.00 For a Dublin resident these rental fees equate to a base rate of $1.25 per seat. Similar to the City's other rental fees Dublin non-profits receive a 66% discount or 25% for fundraising events. Non-residents pay 20% more, and Commercial Uses are 33% more than the base rate. RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends that the Parks and Community Services Commission receive the report and recommend approval of proposed policies to the City Council. 4 of 4