Council studies park shelter and field rental practices; staff asked to pursue commission review, public survey and enforcement options

City staff presented a comparative study of park shelter and field rental policies and fees on Monday, and councilmembers used the discussion to press for clearer enforcement tools, a public survey of resident priorities and referral of the matter to the Parks Commission.

Public Works staff said University Place currently processes shelter use as a special-event permit with a total cost of $274 (about $130 of that is the facility usage component and $144 is the permit review fee that covers plan review and fire marshal checks). Staff said the city receives roughly nine formal shelter rentals per year under that system and otherwise allows first'come, first'served use when shelters are not reserved. Staff listed the city's primary picnic shelters as Surt Park (sometimes shown as Sert Park in materials), Kobayashi Park,…