MOOSE JAW — Residents are now prohibited from using drones or remote-controlled equipment at Yara Centre, which are just two of several changes city hall is making to the venue’s booking and usage policy.
The parks and recreation department presented an updated policy during city council’s recent regular meeting, with council unanimously approving the document.
One change focuses on removing available booking times from the City of Moose Jaw website, as the department’s preferred method of communicating that information to users is by encouraging them to contact the Yara Centre directly.
A second change is the addition of language in the policy to distinguish between organized venue usage and drop-in activities. Specifically, one new criterion for bookings to be considered practices, games or organized events is that participants arriving for pre-determined times must come with a drop-in payment.
Meanwhile, city hall is now prohibiting the use of drones, remote-controlled equipment or foam dart guns within the building and has added them to a list of disapproved activities. These join other prohibited activities or items like javelins, field hockey, golf, lawn darts or metal cleats.
Furthermore, the parks and rec department has updated its annual policy review timelines to align with and support the annual turf allocation timelines.
This means the parks, recreation and facilities advisory committee will review feedback received about the Yara Centre booking and usage policy in April and make any necessary recommendations to council. Furthermore, public and user groups will have until April 15 to provide feedback about the policy, while council will approve any recommended changes in May.
Lastly, the updated policy now includes the current rates and fees for using the building.
Hourly rates for adult prime-time use of the turf range from $138.60 to $544.40 for the regular season and $69.30 to $277.20 during the summer. Also, daily rates range from $1,108.50 to $4,435.20 during the regular season and $544 to $2,217.60 in the summer.
Meanwhile, hourly rates for minor prime-time use of the turf range from $102 to $408 for the regular season and $51 to $204 in the summer. Also, daily rates range from $816 to $3,264 during the regular season and $408 to $1,632 during the summer.
Also, during the regular season, hourly non-prime time turf costs range from $94.50 to $378, and in the summer range from $45 to $180.
There are also extra costs to use batting cages, pitching machines, large soccer nets, a bouncy castle slide, a bouncy castle jungle and a toy package. There is also a charge for track closures for special events.
The next regular council meeting is Monday, June 10.
