Ord 011-2002 2/5/20023 �
ORDINANCE NO. �QQa
ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF WICHITA
FALLS, TEXAS, AMENDING PART II OF THE WICHITA FALLS CODE
OF ORDINANCES, AT CHAPTER 82, PARKS AND RECREATION,
ARTICLE V, SOFTBALL COMPLEX; FINDING AND DETERMINING
THAT THE MEETING AT WHICH THIS ORDINANCE WAS PASSED
WAS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AS REQUIRED BY LAW.
WHEREAS, the Softball Complex is operated by the City according to adopted
rules; and,
WHEREAS, several of these rules need to be changed to allow for better
operation of the facility.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS, THAT:
SECTION 1. Part II of the Wichita Falls Code of Ordinances, at Chapter 82,
Parks and Recreation, Article V, Softball Complex, is hereby amended in its entirety to
read as follows:
"ARTICLE V. SOFTBALL COMPLEX
Sec. 82 -161. Purpose.
The purpose of this article is to establish standard operating procedures and
policies for the use of the city softball complex for private tournament rentals and
practices.
Sec. 82 -162. Responsibility.
It is the responsibility of the softball complex renter to ensure that the contents of
this article are adhered to by all parties involved in the tournament. In addition to these
procedures, those teams and individuals registered in the parks and recreation
department city leagues must adhere to the adult softball league rules and regulations,
available in the parks and recreation office.
Sec. 82 -163. Tournaments.
(a) The program coordinator will be responsible for scheduling and
coordinating all tournaments to be held at the softball complex.
Tournaments must be scheduled at least one month in advance of the
requested dates.
(b) Tournament size and play shall be limited to a minimum of 36 -team
double elimination and a maximum of 65 games round robin.
Tournaments and events of lesser size may be held, with approval of the
parks and recreation director, but are subject to relocation to another city
facility up to two weeks prior to the requested tournament date, if the
complex is needed to host a larger tournament meeting the 36 -team
requirement.
(c) Tournament play will be conducted on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Requests for alternate or additional days must be approved by the
program coordinator.
(d) Renters of the softball complex may exercise the option to close the city -
operated concession stand during the period of rental for the purpose of
selling food and drink items from a portable trailer. Renters exercising this
option shall comply with all applicable health department regulations and
shall enter into an agreement with the city which shall provide a payment
to the city from the renter of not less than 16 percent of the gross receipts
derived from the sale of food or drink from the renter's concessions, or the
renter may elect to have the city operate the concession and pay the
renter 50 percent of the net profit.
(e) The renter or the renter's team members assisting with the tournament, or
anyone under the renter's direction or with the renter's knowledge shall not
attempt to perform any major or extensive field repairs. During inclement
weather, burning, dragging, digging, or hauling of soil to make fields
playable without permission or supervision of the athletic coordinator will
not be permitted. If a tournament is rained out, provisions have been
made so that, in most cases, the tournament can be made up during an
open weekend set aside.
(f) Reservation procedures shall be as follows:
(1) All deposits must be paid by either cashier's check, money order,
Visa /MasterCard or in cash.
(2) Beginning on the first Monday in December of each year,
tournament directors may begin requesting dates for holding
tournaments on a first come, first served basis. At this time,
tournament directors will execute a reservation contract. They must
s
designate the kind of tournament to be conducted and pay a
reservation security deposit of $100.00. This deposit is to ensure a
tournament is held on the dates reserved. If, before 30 days of
12:00 noon on Tuesday prior to the tournament, the tournament
director informs the program coordinator the tournament has been
cancelled, 85 percent of the deposit will be refunded. After this time
the deposit will be forfeited. If the tournament materializes, the
tournament director then must pay, by 12:00 noon on Tuesday prior
to the tournament, a cleanup, damage and loss deposit of $200.00
which, upon completion of the tournament, satisfactory inspection
by the parks and recreation department and financial settlement by
the tournament director, will be returned along with the reservation
security deposit of $100.00. Any loss, cleanup or damage costs
well be deducted from the deposit of $300.00.
(3) For those persons who cannot reserve a date because it has
already been reserved, a waiting list will be maintained in the office
of the program coordinator. If a reserved tournament is cancelled,
persons on the waiting list will be contacted in chronological order.
After a person on the waiting list has been contacted, within 24
hours the person must make a deposit of $100.00 with the parks
and recreation department to cover reservation security. The
person will have until 12:00 noon Tuesday, two weeks prior to the
tournament, to cancel if enough teams cannot be obtained in order
to receive a full deposit refund. Subsection (g)(2) of this section
shall then apply. If the first person on the waiting list declines the
date which has become available, the next person in line will be
contacted. Persons on the waiting list will hold their position until
moved to the reservation board. They will not move to the bottom of
the list.
(g) A copy of the tournament bracket must be submitted to the program
coordinator and the following fees paid no later than 12:00 noon
Wednesday, the week of the scheduled tournament:
(1) Scorekeeper's booths /meeting room rental. There will be a rental
fee of $25.00 per day for this facility. A damage deposit of $100.00
is required. The deposit will be returned in full or in part upon
inspection by the program coordinator.
(2) Field rental. Field rental shall be $20.00 per field per day. This cost
covers field preparation at the beginning of each day, materials,
and restroom cleanup.
(3) Light use fee. The light use fee shall be $7.00 per hour of light
utilization per field per night. The starting time for light fees shall be
6:00 p.m. October through March, and 8:00 p.m. April through
September.
Note: If, upon inspection by the program coordinator at the completion of
the tournament, any damage has been caused to the facility by
tournament participants or spectators, the tournament director will be
charged for the actual cost of repairs.
(h) There will be no curfew in effect at the complex; however, sufficient time
must be set aside for maintenance between 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. The
maintenance time must be coordinated with the program coordinator upon
submittal of brackets.
(i) The parks and recreation department will prepare the fields prior to each
day's play. Preparation includes dragging, watering, marking and leveling.
Q) Any additional maintenance work required for a tournament will require a
charge in addition to the rental fee to cover labor expenses.
(k) All equipment used during the tournament belonging to the parks and
recreation department must be returned to its proper location on the
morning of the first working day immediately following the tournament.
(1) Collection of admission fees and sale of items not in conflict with the city
concession sales, as determined and approved by the director of parks
and recreation, is permitted; however, the renter must pay to the city by
the next working day, in cash, cashier's check, money order or
Visa /MasterCard, the following percentage of gross sales:
(1) The city will receive ten percent of gross sales collected in
admission fees, entry fees, registration fees and for donations in
lieu thereof collected at the complex.
(2) The city will receive five percent of gross sales involving programs,
clothing, amusements, artwork, souvenirs, etc.
(m) Signs and advertising will be permitted by the renter at the softball
complex if displayed in a tasteful manner. Requests must be submitted in
detail, including locations and methods of posting, to the parks and
recreation director for approval. Signs and advertising must be attached
by rope or string only. No tape, tacks or nails are permitted to affix signs.
All signs, advertising, rope or string must be removed upon completion of
the rental period.
(n) The renter shall adhere to these policies. Failure to abide will affect future
consideration of complex rental to the renter.
Sec. 82 -164. Practices.
(a) Reservations of available fields at the softball complex must be made in
person at the parks and recreation athletic office from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00
p.m., Monday through Friday, from the second full week of February to the
last full week of October.
(b) Teams will not be permitted to make more than one reservation per
weekday and one reservation per weekend.
(c) Reservations for Monday may be made on the previous Friday.
Reservations for any day of the week may be made Monday through
Friday of that week.
(d) Persons may come to the parks and recreation office on any weekday to
inquire about field availability for that evening and, if available, may
reserve it, provided they have not previously made a reservation for that
week.
(e) Practices will be limited to 11/2 hours per day per team. Practice times are
as follows:
5:30 p.m. - -7:00 p.m.
7:00 p.m. - -8:30 p.m.
8:30 p.m.- -10:00 p.m.
All teams must relinquish the field at the ending time of their reservation,
not later.
(f) All teams will be given either a reservation card or receipt of payment
upon making the reservation in the athletic office. This card /receipt must
be in the team's possession during practice and presented to city staff
upon request for verification. Teams practicing without a valid reservation
must vacate the field when asked.
(g) Practices unable to be held due to inclement weather or light failure will be
rescheduled upon presentation of the reservation card /receipt to the parks
and recreation office within three working days of the canceled practice. If
playing field conditions are questionable due to rain, the program
coordinator will make the final decision on practices.
(h) Practice fees shall be as follows:
(1) Daytime and evening practices.
a. For daytime practices not requiring light use, no charge.
b. For evening practices (requiring light use) shall be charged
for use of the Softball Complex, and the lighted ballfields in
TESCO, Kiwanis, Jaycee, Jalonick, Bridwell, Scotland, Loch
Lomond, Williams, and Spudder Parks, $10.00.
(2) Payment of charges. These charges must be paid at the time
reservations are made and will be made as follows:
Y a. February, March, and November: 5:30, 7:00 and 8:30 p.m.
practices.
b. April and October: 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. practices.
C. May through September: 8:30 p.m. practices.
(i) All four fields at the complex will be available for practice reservations at
the times listed in subsection (e) of this section. These fields will not be
available for reservation if they are scheduled for city league or
tournament games or extensive maintenance.
(j) Teams making practice reservations are subject to cancellation at any
time for usage other than practice. Teams being canceled will have the
choice of the following:
(1) Being relocated to a park athletic field, if available;
(2) Being rescheduled at the complex or a park athletic field upon
presentation of the reservation card or receipt to the parks and
recreation office within three working days of cancellation; or
(3) If a fee was paid, refund in full will be made.
Sec. 82 -165. Rules of conduct.
(a) No alcohol is to be brought on the premises of the softball complex.
(b) Beer is not permitted on the field or player benches.
(c) Smoking will not be allowed on the field or on player benches.
(d) Profanity, vulgarity, unnecessary roughness, or misconduct of any kind will
not be permitted at the complex. The renter is responsible for controlling
or reporting any problems immediately to the police. Failure to do so will
affect future rentals to the renter.
Sec. 82 -166. Player equipment.
(a) Players are permitted to wear tennis, rubber sole or plastic turf-type
cleated shoes at the softball complex.
(b) Metal spiked shoes are not permitted in the complex (except fast pitch
tournaments).
(c) Players will not be permitted to play barefoot or without shirts.
(d) Players may wear approved shorts such as Bermuda or lower thigh
length. Cutoffs, jogging, gym or tennis shorts are not permitted.
(e) Teams must be in uniform in that game jerseys must be the same basic
color and trim with numbers permanently affixed on the back, which shall
not exceed two digits and which shall be a minimum of six inches high. No
duplicate numbers are permitted.
Sec. 82 -167. Vehicles in designated areas.
When official signs are erected indicating no vehicles in certain areas in or
around the softball complex, no person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle in any such
designated place. Any person violating this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and
shall upon conviction be punished by a fine as provided in section 1 -14.
Secs. 82-168--82-220. Reserved."
SECTION 2. It is hereby officially found and determined that the meeting at
which this ordinance was passed was open to the public as required by law.
PASSED AND APPROVED this the 5th day of February, 2002.
AYOR
ATTEST: