On Tuesday night, the Oakley City Council will discuss the idea of making changes to its Public Parks and Community Facilities Policies to begin possibility charging fees for rental of recreational buildings.
The policy change is being encouraged by the Parks and Recreation Department. Staff does not recommend an overall increase in fees; however, Staff recommends fees associated with the Civic Center Park rental and the Oakley Recreation Buildings.
Editorial Comment:
This is not an unreasonable request nor is it a bad idea for discussion given the staff time required in such rentals, however, absent from the staff report was any suggested fee ranges or background information on the number of times they are rented out each year.
Staff Report
The approved Parks and Community Facilities Policies currently include the Council Chambers, the White House (204 Second Street), and Oakley’s parks. Staff has encountered a number of minor issues with the current policy and recommend updates and clarifications to improve policy consistency and ease of use that reflect Staff and user concerns and input. General Update Areas 1) identifying group picnic sites; 2) the addition of the Oakley Recreation Buildings to the current policy, and 3) the inclusion of a Civic Center Park Policy.
Currently the only two parks with designated group picnic sites are Creekside Park and Summer Lake Park. These two parks will continue to be available for reservations or first come first serve us. The remaining parks do not have designated group picnic sites but multiple smaller areas that can accommodate multiple users, these will be on a first come first served basis only.
The Oakley Recreation Buildings are primarily used for hosting recreation classes and programs however during unused times it is available for rental. The policies are inline with the White House (204 Second Street) and the fees are slightly higher to account for a larger space and additional amenities (parking, restrooms, and courtyard). With the downtown renovations updating the policy to including the Civic Center Park will allow non-profit organizations an opportunity to host community events in the heart of downtown Oakley.
To view the full staff report, click here
2 comments
I do not understand how reports from “staff” continue to be incomplete. Brentwood “staff” does it and so does the Antioch “staff”. Is it laziness or incompetence?
Well since we gave away the old fire house money has to be found somewhere. Seriously, nothing is wrong with charge a small fee to use the buildings, now charging group usage at parks……well not a fan of that. I will say that I did rent the White House 31/2 years ago for a baby shower. My only complaint was that it was so dirty. Film of dust/dirt in the bathrooms, the floors were so dirty that it was gritty as you walked on the floor. They used flat paint on the walls and it was dirty. I did let staff know that it wasn’t clean and we cleaned it and left it better than we received it. I would recommend renting it but make sure that you do take the city up on the pre-inspection.
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