Rec board discusses charging usage fees, deposits after facility maintenance incident

Eastern Western County Recreation Board members discussed changes to facility‑use policies after a recent tournament created plumbing emergencies during a weekend event. Board members and staff described a Saturday/Sunday tournament in which two women’s restrooms clogged and required emergency plumbing calls; the incident occurred during heavy facility use and required work outside regular hours.

Recreation staff proposed requiring usage fees or deposits for outside clubs (AAU and similar groups) that use district facilities. Staff recommended a deposit or usage fee set aside in a recreation account to offset emergency maintenance calls, custodial costs and wear‑and‑tear; the finance director confirmed the district could create a rec‑board account to hold deposits and refund (or retain) funds per policy. Board members discussed balancing support for local clubs with the need to recoup costs; one trustee suggested a flat fee for club tournaments. Directors also noted AAU and club groups currently retain gate receipts and that clubs pay national membership fees for tournament rights; the board said it did not intend to prohibit local clubs but wanted a mechanism to recover facility repair or emergency costs.

The board asked staff to review and rewrite facility‑use policies and return with a recommended fee/deposit structure on a future agenda. No formal vote was recorded; the discussion concluded with administrative follow‑up assigned to operations and finance staff.

Ending: The board directed staff to draft a revised facility‑use policy that would include deposit and fee options to protect the district’s facilities and recoup emergency maintenance costs.