Keller board debates arena rules, concession agreements and fee consistency at sports park

At the May meeting of the Keller Park and Recreation Board, members reviewed proposed changes to sports park user and concession agreements and discussed how to regulate and, in some cases, recover operating costs for the arena and other amenities.

The issue matters because the arena is open to public use but lacks a consistent usage agreement and enforcement mechanism, creating equity questions about fees for organized associations versus casual users.

“We pared [the agreements] down and made it a much easier document to manage,” a parks staff member told the board about the user and concession agreements. The board reviewed a separate concession agreement package and a shorter rental form staff said they would run by the city attorney and city manager before presenting to the KDC (the funding body) in June.

Board members flagged that the arena does not have a usage agreement for routine users — only a sign with rules and a special‑event rental form. Staff said occasional users can show up and turn on lights; reservation and special‑event requests trigger staffing and drag/maintenance work. “If you wanna go out there tonight and ride your horse and turn the lights on, you absolutely can,” a parks staff member said, describing current practice. The board discussed options to control use: a keyed light box, a locked arena requiring staff to open and close it, or gates, but members noted operational costs and access for public works would complicate enforcement.

Members also discussed fee consistency and cost recovery. Staff said many park amenities assess resident and nonresident fees for field use and that the arena sees heavy nonresident use. The board proposed stronger financial reporting and accountability from associations that hold longer‑term use agreements: staff said future user agreements will require annual presentation of financial statements and an audit‑type review so the board and council can assess cost recovery and stewardship.

Staff noted enforcement challenges during evenings and weekends when on‑duty parks staff are not routinely present; overtime and staff scheduling create a cost for on‑call enforcement. Board members proposed lower‑burden approaches such as an honor system with periodic audits, keyed access tied to reservations, or pilot measures to test enforcement before adding permanent controls.

The board asked staff to refine language, run the documents past the city attorney and manager, and return the concession and user agreement package to KDC in June. Members agreed to a future work session to brainstorm creative control and enforcement ideas for the arena and other high‑use, low‑control areas of the sports park.