Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Field Reservations topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board discusses field reservation conflicts, irrigation and volunteer roles; department pursuing system and policy updates
Summary
Board members reported booking confusion and double‑booking events at Chancellor's Run; staff said fall scheduling begins after July 1 when permits are due, a grandfathering policy exists, the department is testing a replacement for RecTrac, and irrigation or bottle fillers are being estimated for selected sites.
Board members raised issues with field reservation clarity and maintenance at Chancellor's Run and other facilities, and department staff described steps to improve scheduling transparency and field care.
A board member reported a recent double‑booking at Chancellor's Run where an adult softball group believed it held a permit but, staff said, had not filed paperwork. The parties resolved the conflict on site. Board members suggested a park‑level permit log or spreadsheet accessible to on‑site attendants so staff could quickly confirm whether a group had an active permit.
Christy Bishop said the department is expanding its field‑use data collection and that fall scheduling is tied to the permit cycle—permits and grandfathering considerations are handled beginning around July 1 when permits are due. She said the existing reservation policy has been updated several times and was last updated in January; staff are discussing additional policy adjustments and technical fixes with division managers.
Staff said there is no simple penalty for reserving fields and not using them and that they have seen an increase in last‑minute cancellations in the spring. The department is pursuing a replacement for the RecTrac registration/reservation system and noted “promising conversations,” but said no decision is final.
On field maintenance, staff said irrigation was recently added to some infields at Chancellor's (infields on Fields 2–3 had added irrigation trenches and heads), and that the department is seeking estimates to add water fountains or bottle fillers at high‑use parks. Board members discussed the playing surface mix (a DuraEdge product) and whether it requires additional watering; staff said the vendor had indicated one mix would require less watering but that field managers still sometimes need irrigation because of weather conditions.
Staff also said legal and risk management advised that volunteers cannot operate county equipment, but volunteers bringing and using their own equipment for field maintenance has occurred informally and is under review. Staff said they would bring recommendations to the board on reservation policy refinements and operational changes.
