Cleveland parks board backs Active Net booking system for municipal sports park

At a Cleveland Park Board meeting, members voted to forward a recommendation to city council to adopt Active Net, an online reservations and facility-management platform, for the Cleveland Municipal Sports Park and other city rental facilities. The board also heard project updates on fire-station and pavilion work and improvements at Samuel Walton Park.

Board members said the new system would centralize field and facility reservations, allow mobile bookings and payments, and make reporting and financial tracking easier. Miss Carter, speaking for the parks committee, said the platform would expand access for local leagues, churches, nonprofits and residents and allow city staff to manage bookings without a separate contractor. She told the board, "The main goal of the committee and me specifically, I will tell you that the goal is it's not a money maker. That's not the goal ... We're just trying to provide better access for anybody that's wanting and willing to use the facilities."

A prerecorded excerpt from the City of Fort Worth—presented in the meeting and introduced by a committee member—featured Daniel, identified in the clip as a business process analyst with the City of Fort Worth, describing how the city uses Active Net for athletics, libraries, pavilions and other facilities. The Fort Worth presentation noted features such as a mobile Connect app, digital waivers, attendance reporting and hundreds of built-in reports that administrators can run for financial and program data.

Committee members said Active Net would let users book specific fields and add optional services (lights, concessions) through an "a la carte" interface. The board was told the vendor-estimated implementation costs are about $4,000 for initial setup and about $5,000 annually; staff said those amounts would be considered in budgeting. Miss Carter and another committee member said leftover revenue, if any, would be reinvested in park improvements rather than treated as general revenue.

Board members discussed facility improvements that the system could support administratively: adding batting cages; installing ventilation or air conditioning in restrooms to improve summertime conditions; improving parking and creating an additional soccer/football field near the parking area to increase capacity; and making the concession stand city-owned and city-operated so whole complexes can be rented together. Committee members said some equipment currently in the concession stand is owned by a local organization and the city may consider purchasing that equipment to consolidate city ownership.

Separately, Mr. Rogers from public works reported on ongoing site work at the fire-station/pavilion area: installation of two hydrants along Sanderson and near Hansen Street, additional hydrants at the pavilion front, drainage improvements north of the pavilion to reduce standing water, and a four-foot protective fence to be installed between Walgreens and the pavilion. Public works staff said they have been using inmate crews to accelerate landscaping and cleanup, plan to pressure-wash and repaint surfaces at Samuel Walton Park, add the city logo at the center of the basketball court, add sod along walking trails, refresh restrooms and install additional benches. Staff said they are also addressing lighting reliability and ADA access improvements.

The board approved two procedural motions during the meeting: acceptance of the minutes from the Aug. 11, 2025 meeting, and a motion to move forward with the Active Net recommendation to city council. Both motions were made and seconded and passed with the board voting "all in favor"; the meeting record does not show a roll-call tally of individual votes. The Active Net item will be presented to city council with the parks advisory board's recommendation.

The board adjourned after completing business.