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Parks and Recreation Commission adopts updated field and court closure procedures
Summary
The Murrieta Parks and Recreation Commission unanimously approved updated standard operating procedures for closing athletic fields and courts because of extreme weather and air-quality events. The policy establishes outreach methods, a closure hotline and a sequence of responsibilities for staff and league representatives.
The Parks and Recreation Commission on Jan. 16 approved updated standard operating procedures for closing athletic courts and fields in the City of Murrieta, citing increasingly frequent closures related to smoke, heat, lightning and other weather events.
The policy vote was unanimous: four commissioners present approved the motion; one commissioner (Commissioner Wood) was absent. The commission directed staff to finalize the procedures, update the city website and pursue monitoring equipment to implement the new guidance.
Commission staff told the commission that the department has seen numerous field closures over the past 18 months and needs clearer, written guidance for staff, league representatives and the public. “It has become imperative to revisit and enhance our existing athletic court and field closure guidelines and operating procedures,” a staff report read to the commission said.
Under the draft procedures discussed, the department will: maintain a distribution list for league representatives; post field-closure signs; use social media (the department and police Facebook pages and Nextdoor) to notify users when closures are known before 2 p.m.; operate a closure hotline for parents and the public to check field status; and keep photographic logs to assist enforcement and repeat-offender tracking. Staff said games and practices that are already underway after about 2 p.m. would be the responsibility of league officials to suspend or stop according to the guidance.
Commissioners pressed staff on instrumentation to measure heat and air quality. Staff said the department will seek and deploy temperature and air-quality devices after the commission approves the procedures, and that some schools and leagues already use handheld meters for ambient and field measurements. Staff characterized the document as standard operating procedures rather than an amendment to municipal code, but said the guidelines will cite existing code authority where relevant.
The commission voted following a motion to adopt the draft procedures and a second; Secretary roll-call recorded “yes” votes from Commissioner Gilliland, Commissioner Henneman, Vice Chair Parker and Chair Colopy. Motion carries unanimously with Commissioner Wood excused.
Next steps listed by staff include posting the approved procedures on the city website, updating league packets, purchasing field-monitoring instruments and creating a closure hotline and signage package. Staff also said they will rename the current “rain-out hotline” references to a general “field/court closure hotline” to reflect non‑rain events such as smoke or heat.
The item was presented as Discussion Item 1 on the commission agenda and will be implemented administratively by the Community Services Department.
