Lake Elmo parks commission backs changes to reservation policy, raises shelter deposit and adds Lions Park volleyball

The Lake Elmo City Parks Commission voted to recommend changes to the city's parks reservation policy, including raising the refundable shelter security deposit to $100 and adding Lions Park volleyball courts to the list of reservable courts. The motion to forward the changes to the City Council was moved and seconded and approved by voice vote at the commission meeting.

Staff member Adam presented a multi-part proposal that would (a) split ball-field rentals into a summer season (April'July) and a fall season with separate pricing; (b) make all park shelters reservable, split into half-day and full-day blocks; (c) limit the number of reservable courts at certain sites to 50% of courts at that site; and (d) continue and expand lighting fees. Adam said the city's current ball-field rate is $50 per day or $500 for the season; lighting use is subject to a nonrefundable fee of $20 per reservation or $150 for a season and an additional $30 charge if lights remain on past a specified time because of citizen complaints.

Why it matters: staff told commissioners the changes are intended to balance recreational access and cost recovery. Adam said the city collected about $300 in reservation revenue in 2024 (all from lighting fees) while lighting costs ran over $6,000; other maintenance and irrigation costs can add several thousand dollars per year. "Again, we're not trying to make money, but also just to, you know, recuperate some of those costs that we're gonna have for our users that always use those or want to use those on a regular basis," Adam said during the presentation.

Key details from the staff proposal and the commission discussion: - Ball fields: summer season (April'July) proposed at $50 per day or $500 for the season; staff said the split helps distinguish nonprofit versus for-profit renters in different parts of the year and allows different pricing for fields with lights or outfield fences versus smaller infield-only sites. Staff said smaller fields without irrigation would be priced lower (example cited: $250 for some infields). - Shelters: staff recommended making all shelters reservable, with a suggested half-day block (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and full day (9 a.m. to 9 p.m.), and a refundable security deposit tied to damage/cleanup. Commissioners debated raising the refundable deposit from the staff's suggested $50 to $100; the commission voted to change the refundable security deposit to $100. - Courts and pickleball: staff proposed limiting reservable courts to 50% of courts at each site (for example, two of four courts at Lions Park), numbering courts for clarity, and charging $20 for a 3-hour individual-court reservation. Clubs or groups reserving multiple days could be charged a weekly rate (staff cited $100/week as an example). The commission discussed exceptions for sanctioned events or tournaments where a higher percentage could be reserved. - Evening lighting fees: staff proposed a $10 lighting fee for reservations after 6 p.m.; current lighting fees for fields are a separate nonrefundable charge. Staff said courts with newer LED lights (versus older fluorescent systems) have lower operating costs but overall lighting remains a notable budget item.

Commission action: a commissioner moved to "recommend to city council the changes to the Lake Elmo reservation policy as presented by staff with the following changes to increase the refundable security deposit for the shelters to a $100 and to add volleyball courts at Lions Park to the reservation policy with the proposed court rules." A second was recorded and the motion passed on a voice vote; the meeting record shows an affirmative voice vote with no recorded opposition.

Next steps: the commission asked staff to present the package to the City Council; commissioners also asked that the policy be reviewed annually (staff recommended an annual review each January or at a seasonal time that fits the budget cycle) and that staff implement clearer signage and online reservation visibility (including court numbering and an updated website reservation tool) before the policy takes effect.