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Lake Stevens parks staff seek feedback on draft field-and-court rental policy that prioritizes residents and youth sports
Summary
Staff presented a draft use policy for synthetic turf fields and courts that prioritizes Lake Stevens residents and youth athletics (priority tiers, an 80% residency threshold for some categories), sets application windows and refund rules; board members asked staff to clarify 'equitable' language and priority definitions.
Parks staff reviewed a draft athletic field and court use policy intended to govern reservation priority for synthetic turf and other athletic facilities. The draft introduces priority tiers that favor Lake Stevens residents and youth athletics; for example, staff said some categories will require teams to have about 80% Lake Stevens residents to receive a higher priority for scheduling.
Staff outlined three booking seasons and application windows: applications open three months before a use period, application periods close on a defined date, and staff aims to post the schedule by the first Tuesday in the month before the season begins. Staff also explained cancellation and refund provisions: if the city cancels a reservation, a full refund will be issued, and staff will provide rationale for cancellations (severe weather, maintenance, or safety concerns).
Board members asked for clearer wording around the policy’s use of the word "equitable" and requested grammatical changes to make the residency/prioritization rules easier to read. Staff said they will incorporate board feedback and circulate the revised draft to local sports clubs for comment before finalizing the department-level policy.
