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access to the switches to turn lights on and off. The City confirmed that access will not change from the current system that uses a timer that allows lights to turn on and off within specific time windows – generally 6 PM to 10 PM, with start time varying with the seasons. The tennis court lights always shut off at 11 PM. There have been complaints from neighboring residents that sometimes, field lights remain on past these times. Sports Boosters turns off the lights after they are done using the facility. There are occasional malfunctions with the timer which can cause lights to be on outside of the allowed time period. Silver Point Park and Emerald Park’s lights are also on a timer, and each park has a switch to turn lights on and off. These field lights are not yet LED bulbs. However, trail lights are already LED. A question came up regarding lights in the skating area at Silver Point Park, and whether they would be getting removed along with the ice rink. This is still to be determined. A comment was also made about adding benches along the trail at Central Park where there are currently none. B.Park Usage Fees City Manager Charlie Yunker and Mayor Wendy Webster provided an overview of the facility use procedures utilized by Community Services. This applies to spaces at the Community Center as well as other facilities like ball fields. Since at least 2008, any Saint Anthony-based non-profit, city or school group can use spaces free of charge. Community Services went through an evaluation process with Teamworks International to discuss facility use and align the procedures used. There is a “public purpose doctrine” because school districts and cities rely on taxpayer funds, so a user should be able to say they are using the space for public purpose. Effectively offering space that is free of charge to groups such as non-profits means taxpayers subsidize the cost of providing the space. One example to consider is the gym – what is the cost per square foot to operate the gym including lights, heat, air conditioning, water, custodial services, staff time for a building supervisor, maintenance and upkeep? School Board Policy 902 for facility use outlines that the School Board dictates policy, and Community Services sets fees. Community Services presented recommendations for a new fee structure, which incorporated input from Sports Boosters to phase in the fees. The fees will allow Community Services to dedicate funds towards the budgets of the school district and city for improvement of facilities. Fees also factor in time and cost for maintenance by City Public Works. Fees would be collected by Community Services through billing the user group, then Community Services will write a check to the city for field use and facility improvements. The process of making the reservations – coordinating through Community Services – will remain the same but will be associated with slightly increased administrative costs to determine timing and availability. All in the room agree that Sports Boosters should be paying for space usage, which they have not needed to historically with the old fee structure. The organization’s calculations are that registration fees will increase by about $70-150 per player and Boosters’ concern is that pricing is not sustainable. The cost will be passed on to families, practice time is where it really adds up, not just time for games. In the past Boosters has provided donations to offset costs for managing facilities, but this new pricing will give them an hourly rate to provide that financial piece. 7