Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Parks Fees Policy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lowell parks board forwards tournament-fee schedule, insurance language to city council subcommittee
Summary
After months of internal discussion, the Lowell Parks & Recreation Board voted to forward a proposed tournament-fee schedule and model liability-insurance requirement to the City Council subcommittee for review. The board also approved draft minimums for custodial, lighting and trash services tied to multi-day events.
The Lowell City Parks & Recreation Board voted unanimously on March 20 to forward a proposed tournament-fee schedule and model liability-insurance requirement to the City Council subcommittee for Parks and Recreation.
The board said the move is intended to give the City Council subcommittee an opportunity to review the proposal and collect public input before any fee schedule is adopted. Board members said the intent of the draft is to protect the city from liability and to cover staff and service costs created by multi-day tournaments.
The draft forwarded by the board recommends that non‑synthetic fields used for tournaments be charged $500 per field per day and that synthetic (turf) fields be charged $1,500 per field per day. The proposal includes a $200 per‑park per‑day trash/disposal charge (waivable if the event operator agrees to remove all waste), a $100 lighting fee where additional lighting is required, a custodial fee of $150 per staffed block, and a $200 electrician/technical fee where special electrical or technical services are required. The board also proposed a standard requirement that tournament organizers provide commercial general liability insurance with a $1,000,000 minimum limit and an endorsement that names the City of Lowell as additional insured; the draft notes some events may be required to carry higher limits.
Board members who worked on the draft said they compared fees in nearby communities, including Worcester, and adjusted figures to reflect Lowell’s costs and level of city services. One board member said Worcester charges nearly $950 per field per day for non‑synthetic tournaments and $2,200 for synthetic fields; the Lowell draft is lower than those examples but higher than the small hourly rates the parks department had been assessing for multi‑field tournaments.
The board voted to forward both the proposed fee schedule and the liability-insurance language to the City Council subcommittee of Parks and Recreation so the subcommittee can schedule a public review and receive comment from tournament organizers and other stakeholders. The board also approved submitting the draft as a working document the parks department can rely on when processing large tournament permit requests until the council acts.
Board chair and staff said the forwarded materials remain draft policy, and any permit already issued under existing rules would not be retroactively changed by the forwarding action.
Board member comment emphasized that the goal of the proposal is to ensure tournaments cover the direct cost of city services — custodial coverage, trash removal, lighting and electrical work — and to require event insurance that protects participants and the city.
The City Council subcommittee will schedule a review; the board asked the parks department to notify known tournament organizers so they may provide commentary.
The board also approved sending the liability-insurance draft language (the single‑paragraph model definition) with the same referral to the council subcommittee for review and public comment.
