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City outlines ‘on demand’ CivicRec reservations rollout, reports growing online use
Summary
Recreation Supervisor Karen Lee demonstrated the city’s improved on-demand reservation system (CivicRec), saying the online platform now handles reservations for park shelters and several indoor facilities and that 22% of recent reservations were made online.
Recreation Supervisor Karen Lee demonstrated the city’s improved on-demand reservations system during the City Council meeting, describing an online, mobile-accessible CivicRec workflow the department rolled out to simplify facility and picnic-shelter bookings.
Lee said the system now provides 24/7 access to reservations and integrates a “ready-to-serve” vendor list of preapproved vendors who have current business licenses and insurance on file. “On demand is a 24/7 access,” Lee told the council as she walked members through the CivicRec booking flow.
Staff reported that since the on-demand rollout in January 2024 the department recorded 2,948 reservations; 22% of those reservations were made online, Lee said. The online service now covers 27 park picnic shelters, the Victoria Park Community Center, the civic center gym and other indoor facilities. The department also installed QR-code signs at picnic shelters so users can view availability and book while on site.
Council members asked about turnaround times for last-minute vendor requests and the size of the approved-vendor list. Lee said the list is dynamic and changes as vendors submit current insurance and business licenses; she estimated roughly 11 vendors on the list at the time of her presentation and said officials plan to expand it. For indoor reservations the current processing lead time is about 15 days; staff set a goal to reduce that to seven days and said they will refine online prompts and processing steps.
Lee outlined typical steps for users: choose a facility, select a date and time, answer prompts about event type and vendors, provide vendor insurance documentation when required, sign waivers, and complete payment. Staff said most picnic-shelter bookings receive near-immediate approval, while indoor permits involve manual review because of staffing and layout requirements.
Council members suggested outreach to local businesses, including using the city’s business-license registry and social media, to recruit more vetted vendors. Lee said the vendor-list enrollment is free and that staff will pursue cross-promotion with the city’s business licensing division.
The presentation was an informational update; councilmembers praised the work and no formal action was taken.
