Category: Public Works and Facilities
Policy No.: PWF-9
Subject: Moorlands Park Athletic Field Policy
Date Issued: 11/19/2018
Staff Contact:
Last Updated:
The City of Kenmore (City) maintains its parks for the enjoyment of residents and visitors. Park rules provide a system by which the greatest number of people may have maximum satisfaction from the use of City parks and recreation facilities. As a reminder to Moorlands Park users, the park is under video surveillance.
Disputes arising from implementation and enforcement of these park rules, policies and procedures shall be appealed in writing to the City Manager for resolution.
These rules and regulations for Moorlands Park (Park), including its athletic field (Athletic Field), have been adopted by the City Manager to implement and supplement the rules and regulations of Chapter 9.40 KMC, titled “Parks-Rules for Use of Facilities.” In the event of a conflict between these rules and Chapter 9.40 KMC, these rules shall prevail.
The following rules apply to the Park and Athletic Field, and if violated, shall be punished as an infraction pursuant to Article V of KMC Chapter 9.40:
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Public access beyond the posted Park rules signs is limited to Moorlands students and staff on school days during school hours.
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The Park is open from dawn to dusk, unless otherwise posted.
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Pets must be on a leash and under control at all times.
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Pets in the athletic field and children’s play area are prohibited.
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Pet waste must be picked up and disposed of in trash receptacles.
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Trash must be disposed of in trash receptacles.
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Golfing, overnight parking or camping is prohibited.
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Use of model airplanes or rockets is prohibited. Use of drones will be guided by FAA rules for small unmanned aircraft.
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Littering is prohibited.
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Loitering as defined in Chapter 9.30 KMC is prohibited.
The following rules also apply to the Park and Athletic Field, and if violated, shall be punished as a misdemeanor pursuant to Article V of Chapter 9.40 KMC:
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Possession or use of alcoholic beverages or drugs is prohibited.
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Carrying of weapons is prohibited.
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Destruction or removal of Park property or plants is prohibited.
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Unauthorized sale of goods, services or merchandise is prohibited.
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Open fires are prohibited.
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Loitering as defined in Chapter 9.30 KMC is prohibited.
The following rules apply to the Park and Athletic Field. If a rule prohibits or requires an action, violation of the rule shall be punished as an infraction pursuant to Article V of KMC Chapter 9.40:
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The City is responsible for the scheduling and maintenance of the Athletic Field. The City reserves the right to limit the use of and play on the Field throughout the year.
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Violation of the General Rules or Athletic Field Rules may result in forfeiture of Athletic Field use or payment of additional fees.
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Organized teams or leagues may not use the Athletic Field unless they reserve the Field in writing and in advance.
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Unscheduled or incidental use may occur at the Athletic Field as long as such use does not interfere with scheduled uses or take place during Moorlands Elementary School hours, Field maintenance or Field closure.
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Athletic Field users shall be responsible for City expenses to correct, clean, repair or replace any City facility or property that is damaged in connection with the user’s activity or event.
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Pets are prohibited on the Athletic Field.
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Tobacco products are prohibited on or around Athletic Field.
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Trash must not be left on the Athletic Field following Field use. The renter or user of the Field is responsible for disposing of trash in trash receptacles.
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The intentional throwing, hitting or kicking of balls into or over the fences, backstops or buildings is prohibited.
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Sales of concessions without a separate City special events permit are prohibited on or around the Athletic Field.
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Solicitation of any kind and distribution of handbills and signs is prohibited.
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The hitting of a baseball or softball on the Athletic Field or anywhere else in the Park by a person over the age of 12 is prohibited. Provided that parents or coaches may hit a ball when assisting youth in practice.
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Gum, candy and sunflower seeds on the Athletic Field or in the dugouts are prohibited.
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Signs, posters and notices cannot be displayed without prior written permission from the City Manager or designee.
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Users must treat all players, spectators, City and School District employees, and all other citizens, with respect and courtesy.
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Users shall not dig ditches or apply foreign materials to the Athletic Field in an attempt to “dry” it out.
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The Athletic Field and its facilities shall not be modified, except as allowed by the City Manager or designee.
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The Athletic Field shall not be damaged in any way.
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Users, as well as tournament and sports camp directors, must ensure that the Athletic Field and its facilities are clean after each use, including respective dugouts, field(s) and surrounding areas.
The City may close the Athletic Field due to inclement weather, poor playing conditions that may cause hazardous conditions for the public, excessive repair work to bring the Field back to playable condition, or “resting” of the Field from frequent use, as determined by the City Manager or designee. The City Manager or designee will post “Field Closed” signs for all closures.
At the beginning of each season, the City Manager or designee will establish a field closure notification procedure. After the opening of the Athletic Field for a season, the league’s or organization’s designee (umpire, referee, or coach) shall be responsible for determining whether the Field must be closed for use or play. The City will not provide a daily presence at the Field and will rely on the user to determine playability and safe playing conditions (weather-related or otherwise). If the City or a user cancels Field use due to unsafe playing conditions, the user may request a credit or refund for missed time. This request shall be made in writing to the City Manager or designee within two weeks of closure.
The user shall be responsible for advising coaches and participants that the Athletic Field is unplayable, not only during periods of inclement weather, but also when the Field is in poor or hazardous playing condition, or when play may cause damage that would require excessive repair work to bring the Field back into playable condition.
Any user or participant who plays on the Field when it has been officially closed may forfeit current reserved Field time as well as future consideration for Field use.
The City owns and maintains the Athletic Field. However, during Moorlands Elementary School hours, the Field is reserved for School use only, and members of the public may not use the Field during School hours. Park rules signs are posted at the Park and designate the locations beyond which public access is limited during School hours.
During scheduled usage of the Athletic Field, users shall have in their possession the final, approved, signed and executed City field usage contract for Field use. Any dispute regarding use of the Athletic Field shall be resolved, if possible, by comparison of contracts, not schedules.
At the beginning of each season, the City Manager or designee will provide to users the after-hours contact information and procedures.
Each user shall defend, indemnify and hold harmless the City, its officers, officials, employees and volunteers from and against any and all claims, suits, actions, or liabilities for injury or death of any person, or for loss or damage to property, which arises out of the use of the Park and Athletic Field or from any activity, work or thing done, permitted, or suffered by the user in or about the Park and Athletic Field, except only such injury or damage as shall have been occasioned by the sole negligence of the City.
The following two insurance forms must be submitted to the City no less than two full weeks prior to Athletic Field use:
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A Certificate of Insurance evidencing Commercial General Liability Insurance with limits of no less than $1,000,000 per occurrence. The City must be named as an additional insured.
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An Additional Insurance endorsement using ISO Additional Insured-Managers or Lessors of Premises Form CG20 11 or an endorsement providing at least as broad coverage naming the City of Kenmore as “additional insured”.
Failure to provide acceptable insurance coverage will result in the denial of an Athletic Field request or forfeiture of any scheduled Field use.
Parking during non-School hours is available at the southeast entrance to Moorlands Elementary School at 15115 84th Ave. N.E. (23 spots available) and/or the 14 stalls of Park parking at the end of the southwest park access road. There is no parking available at either location on School days during School hours. Users that have reserved the Athletic Field for organized practices or games do not have exclusive use of the parking areas and must share the parking spaces with other members of the public who may wish to use other portions of the Park.
Athletic Field users need to contact the First Romanian Pentecostal Church for permission to use the parking lot to the north of the Park on the Church property.
To assure proper scheduling, all requests for Athletic Field use and/or changes must be submitted in writing, on the proper forms, to the City Manager or designee. Field Use Request forms can be found at the Kenmore City Hall or online at www.kenmorewa.gov/ MoorlandsParkField. Incomplete or unsigned forms will not be processed and will be returned to the sender.
The user who requests use of the Athletic Field must be in good financial standing with the City. “Good financial standing” means that user does not have a history or pattern of late rental payments, bounced checks, or forfeiture of deposits within the prior two years.
Each user shall appoint one contact person to communicate with the City regarding Athletic Field scheduling.
Priority will be given to users that serve the highest number of players residing within City limits who will be playing games or practices on City fields.
# of youth who are Kenmore residents X # number of practices and games = Priority Score.
If two or more users are equal or within 15 points of each other, historical use will be used as a factor to determine priority; or in the case of the first year, the users will flip a coin or use a lottery under the discretion and direction of the City Manager or designee.
The following outlines the order of priority for Athletic Field distribution.
A. 
City sponsored programs.
B. 
Moorlands Elementary programs and events (example, Curriculum Night).
C. 
Users serving youth within the City limits.
D. 
Users serving youth within the Northshore School District.
E. 
Users serving youth outside the Northshore School District.
Saturdays and Sundays are primarily intended for games rather than practices, and priority scheduling will be allotted accordingly.
Organizations reserving more field time than actually used may receive reduced field time and/or a reduced priority score in the following year
Given the size and location of the Athletic Field, users serving adults may not reserve the Athletic Field.
The Athletic Field is primarily intended to serve youth baseball, softball, fastpitch, t-ball, and other sports that use a baseball diamond and bases for the field of play. The City Manager or designee may allow fall soccer practices and games on the grass portion of the field, provided that such practices are for youth ages six and younger and provided that Field users acknowledge that City staff may require that the soccer practices be fully contained on the grass portion of the Field.
Youth Athletic Clubs who provide lower fees and scholarships for low-income participants compared to other clubs using the field may apply for discounted field rental fees.
Athletic Field reservations do not include reservations of the picnic shelter, restroom, or any other portions of the Park. During all Park hours, including times when the Field is reserved, members of the public are welcome to freely use other portions of the Park out-side of the Field, except noted restrictions during School hours.
Saturday and Sunday: 9 am to dusk or 9 pm, whichever is earlier.
Monday through Friday:
When Moorlands Elementary is in session: 5 p.m. to dusk or 9 p.m., whichever is earlier.
When Moorlands Elementary is not in session: 9 a.m. to dusk or 9 p.m., whichever is earlier.
The City Manager or designee may choose not to allow Athletic Field use during after-school Moorlands Elementary events such as Curriculum Night.
The City Manager or designee will review tournaments, sports camps, and non-sporting events for approval via a separate special events permit. These uses shall be subordinate to games and practices scheduled through Field Priority scoring as described above.
For January 1 through June 30 Athletic Field Times
Field reservation application period: the prior October 1st through October 31st.
Field scheduling assignments will be made no later than December 1st. Field users must pay a deposit by the following December 15th to confirm the assigned schedule.
For July 1 through December 31 Athletic Field Times:
Field reservation application period: April 1st through April 30th.
Field scheduling assignments will be made no later than June 1st. Field users must pay a deposit by the following June 15th to confirm the assigned schedule.
For any unfilled Field times after the application periods, the Field may be reserved on a first come, first served basis.
Fees and charges are assessed for use of City fields to help partially offset administrative and operational costs. Field rental fees and charges are adopted annually by City Council in the City’s Fee Resolution.
Athletic Field rental fees must be paid in advance of the date of use. Failure to do so may result in termination of the Field rental contract(s).
Field users and/or other organizations shall not charge admission at the Field.
When the City Manager or designee decides to close the Field due to weather or other issues, paid reservations for the day(s) of closure will be fully refunded to the user(s) upon written request. Such request shall be made in writing to the City Manager or designee within two weeks of the closure.
More than 30 days notice of cancellation: 25% of fee.
15-30 days notice of cancellation: 50% of fee
14 days notice of cancellation: No refund
Field Closures: The City Manager or designee will have the authority to make decisions on field playability and safety following inclement weather, field maintenance or emergency.
Facility Maintenance: All facility maintenance shall be performed by the City Manager or designee and applicable staff.
Field users and renters are responsible for setting up and putting away bases, pitching rubbers, and other equipment for each game. Field users also are responsible for chalking or “lining” the Field (The City Manager or designee may prohibit chalk lining the field for soccer). City-owned bases, pitching rubbers, etc. shall not to be removed from the Field or relocated without express permission from the City Manager or designee. The City will groom the infield as time and resources permit and at the sole discretion of the City Manager or designee. Field users will have access to hand rakes.
Field users and renters are responsible for ensuring the facility is clean after each use, including dugouts, field, and surrounding areas.
Field users and renters are responsible for following any site-specific rules and regulations posted at the Field, as well as these rules and regulations.
Failure to follow site-specific rules and regulations posted at the Field or these rules and regulations may result in the forfeiture of current reserved Field time as well as future consideration for Field use.
It is the responsibility of each user to provide the City Manager or designee with accurate and truthful information, ensure that all team coaches and managers know, understand and abide by these rules and procedures, request only necessary Field time, and return to inventory any Field time that the user does not intend to use.