News: Sports Complex Regulations For Use
| Date Published |
Author |
| |
Kerri LaPorte |
Updated October 2024
Town of Harwinton
Facility & Field Use Policy
The Town of Harwinton has adopted the following policy to provide for the orderly and equitable use of fields and recreational spaces at the Harwinton Sports Complex for all residents.
- GENERAL PROCEDURES & APPLICATION PROCESS
A reservation request must be submitted for all events/programs/activities not sponsored by the Town of Harwinton Recreation Department. The Request Form can be located on the Harwinton Recreation website (harwintonct.myrec.com).
Reservation requests must be completed by a responsible representative of the group requesting use of the fields.
Applications must be received a minimum of 2 weeks prior to the date of requested use. The application will be reviewed and the applicant will be contacted regarding the status of use within 10 days of receipt.
A certificate of insurance shall be submitted with the reservation request. Please contact the Parks & Recreation Director if you need help securing the appropriate insurance.
Separate reservations of both practices and games must be submitted on the MyRec Website so that our grounds crew know when fields need to be game ready. The Director of Parks & Recreation will approve or deny your request within 48 business hours of submission.
Preliminary approval may be given prior to submission of complete schedules. Final approval will not be granted until a schedule of both games & practices has been submitted and reviewed by the Recreation Director and Public Works Director.
All applicants must receive approval prior to use of Town fields/facilities, regardless of whether fields are open for the season. A permit from the MyRec site should be accessible by the Supervising Person during field/facility use.
All teams and leagues must belong to an affiliated State or National Organization that is responsible for the administration of their sport. (e.g. CJSA, CSSA, CIAC, Little League)
Those who have secured fields or facilities are required to inform Harwinton Recreation if there are any schedule changes and update their reservations online.
Town of Harwinton programs/events always have priority use of facilities and fields, including exclusive use of the playground for Recreation Department programs.
Every effort will be made to avoid schedule conflicts and most will be worked out at the time of the request for fields/facilities. Should a Town or school-sponsored program require the use of a previously reserved area, every effort will be made to reschedule or find a suitable replacement area. Should the Town be unable to do so, the Town reserves the right to cancel the conflicting event and will issue a refund of the fee paid for canceled time.
- USERS
The Town of Harwinton reserves the right to restrict, refuse, or cancel use of fields/facilities. All field/facility use is at the discretion of the Recreation Director and Recreation Commission.
User Categories & Priority of Use
Group A
1: Town of Harwinton Recreation Department programs & events, Town of Harwinton events, Town of Harwinton sponsored groups
2: Region 10 Schools athletic programs and groups for non-profit use
Group B
3: Non-profit youth sports programs & athletic organizations that serve Burlington and Harwinton
4: Non-profit Harwinton sponsored adult athletic organizations
5: Non-profit community, civic organizations comprised primarily of Harwinton residents who contribute to the well-being of the Town of Harwinton. Non-profit events only
Group C
6: Non-profit, non-resident organizations, including youth & adult athletic organizations serving the Town of Harwinton and Burlington, but also serving a wider region. Non-profit events only
7: Harwinton Residents for personal, non-profit use
Group D
8: Fundraiser event by Region 10 Schools, by non-profit Harwinton sponsored youth & adult sports programs & athletic organizations
9: Fundraiser event by non-profit community, civic organizations comprised primarily of Harwinton residents who contribute to the well-being of the Town of Harwinton
10: Fundraiser event by non-profit, non-resident organizations, including youth & adult athletic organizations serving the Town of Harwinton, but also serving a wider region.
11: For profit organizations, clubs, groups, private camps, tournaments, businesses
12: Non-residents for personal use
13: Others
Note:
Group B and youth organizations must have memberships that consist of 85% Burlington and Harwinton residents. Rosters may be requested.
A Harwinton organization is defined as any group of individuals whose membership is composed of a minimum of 85% Harwinton Residents.
A non-resident organization is defined as any group of individuals whose membership is composed of less than 85% Harwinton residents.
Proof of non-profit status may be required.
III. INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS AND FEES
Insurance
All organizations, teams or leagues, residents, businesses, non-affiliated clubs and associations, and non-residents must provide a certificate of insurance naming the Town of Harwinton as an additional insured on a primary basis. Insurance policy shall require $2,000,000 general liability, $2,000,000 dollars for bodily injury and $250,000 dollars for property damage.
Sports organizations must also provide a minimum of $25,000 Player/Participant Accident Insurance (accidental medical benefits limit per individual per accident)
All organizations, teams or leagues must belong to an affiliated State or National Organization e.g. CJSA, CSSA, CIAC, Little League.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Organization shall defend, indemnify and hold the Town of Harwinton and all of its employees, officials and boards harmless from and against all claims, bodily injury and property damage, judgments and expenses, including attorney fees and costs, which arise from, or which are alleged to arise from, this agreement and from the use of fields and facilities.
Fees for Use of Fields, Courts, Pavilion
There are costs to the Town associated with well-maintained fields and facilities. These costs include, but are not limited to: maintenance staff, machinery, utilities, insurance and administrative oversight. In order to offset a portion of these costs a fee will be assessed to some of the users/user groups.
User Fees per Field, Sports Court, Pavilion, Recreational Space:
Group A: Exempt from fees
Group B: Exempt from fees
Group C: $25/hour
Group D: $100/hour
A seasonal rental fee for approved league use may be negotiated with the Recreation Commission and the Director of Recreation.
A current participation roster may be required prior to use. The roster must include each participant’s name, home address (no PO boxes), and phone number and include the same information for the person responsible for the team.
Note: Additional fees may be assessed at the discretion of the Director of Recreation depending on the nature of the request. The Town of Harwinton reserves the right to require police, public safety or custodial personnel at an event/game. All users/user groups will be responsible for fees associated with additional personnel.
- SPECIAL REQUESTS & FIELD CLOSURES
Set-up Requests
Field preparation needs, maintenance of facilities and other special requests must be submitted in writing to the Director of Recreation in advance. Depending on the nature of the request please allow 1-2 weeks’ notice. Town staff will make its best attempt to complete requests with consideration to time, staffing and weather conditions. The Town reserves the right to support or deny any request. Any maintenance or alterations performed on Town of Harwinton fields/facilities by outside organizations without prior approval will result in revocation of permission to use fields.
Field Closures
Due to factors such as inclement weather, unsafe conditions or poor usage conditions the Harwinton Recreation Director, Public Works Director, or their designee reserves the right to deny use and close individual fields, the entire facility or require an activity to stop and participants vacate the area at any time. Rescheduling of reservations may be required. If you include the level of the participants in your reservation request this may help us make a more informed decision about whether or not fields are playable.
During weekdays, field conditions will be evaluated in the early afternoon and any field closings will be determined by 3:00 p.m. Decision is subject to change based on changing weather conditions.
On weekends and holidays field conditions will be evaluated in the early morning and any field closings will be determined by 8 a.m. Decision is subject to change based on changing weather conditions.
If inclement weather occurs after business hours, it is the responsibility of the user group’s supervising person to determine if the reserved field is playable. The group will be held responsible for damages and field use approval will be revoked if fields are used when conditions are unsuitable.
If there is uncertainty about the status of a field send an email to: Recreation@Harwinton.us
All athletic fields are closed on holidays.
Top 5 Signs Fields Are Unsuitable for Play
Fields may not be used and activities MUST BE CANCELED if any of the following conditions exist.
- Ground is squishy or waterlogged
- Fields or infields have standing puddles of water
- Grass is easily pulled out of the ground
- Footing is unsure or slippery- Infield areas are “muddy” and material clings to shoes
- Weather is severe-including, but not limited to thunder &/or lightning, steady rain is falling
Use of fields under these conditions is unsafe for participants.
Irreversible damage can be done to fields under these conditions. It takes months, sometimes years, for fields to recover.
If you arrive to find any of these conditions present--do not allow players on the field!
- RULES & REGULATIONS
Violation of Rules & Regulations
The Town of Harwinton has adopted the following rules and regulations for use of all Town fields, facilities, and recreational spaces. These rules must be observed by all members of an organization including coaches, parents and participants. In the event that any members of the user groups are in violation of the rules these groups are subject to suspension or expulsion from use of Town fields/facilities at the discretion of the Recreation Director and Recreation Commission. In the event of suspension or expulsion from Town fields/facilities the user groups/individuals will not be refunded any fees paid.
Rules & Regulations
The following rules and regulations for use of Town fields/facilities are not meant to be all-inclusive. In general, any behavior deemed by the Recreation Commission to compromise the safety, health and well-being of the users or to potentially damage the property will not be tolerated and offenders will be expelled from the facilities or subject to greater penalty.
- All groups and persons using Town facilities do so at their own risk
- Areas are open from dawn to dusk. The Supervising Person should make sure the area is vacated, the gate to the Sports Complex is closed and locked by dusk. Approval is required in advance for the area to remain open after dusk for special events.
- All fields are closed on holidays. No games should be scheduled prior to 9:00 am on Sundays.
- Fields are closed to users when the gate is closed.
- Use of fields without approval or during a time when they are closed due to weather, due to maintenance, or when unsuitable conditions exist is prohibited.
- Stay off fields that are unsuitable for play, regardless of prior approval.
- All children must be supervised at ALL times. Do not leave children unattended on the playground, in the road or anywhere within the Complex.
- Stay off fences. Go around, not over!
- Users are responsible for cleaning litter from all areas and depositing litter in trash receptacles or recycling containers, prior to departing. Failure to do so could result in additional fees and/or revocation of field/facility use.
- Spectators are not permitted on playing fields.
- Bicycles, skateboards and scooters are restricted to paved areas.
- NO dogs allowed within the Sports Complex, including paved areas and playground.
- The following are prohibited within the Sports Complex: Alcohol, Smoking, Vaping & Use of Tobacco Products, Illegal Drugs, Loitering, Golfing, Dogs & Domesticated Animals, Snowmobiles/ATV’s, Profanity, Loud Confrontational Language
- Any act that puts participants in harm’s way is prohibited. (i.e. driving/parking vehicles on the fields)
- Any abuse or damage of town property is prohibited. (i.e. tearing up the field, littering, purposeful breaking of equipment)
- Any illegal acts on Town property, including pavilion, playgrounds, open space areas, fields, courts, are prohibited.
- Facility users must take appropriate precautions, such as providing first aid kits, onsite medical staff and/or the ability to contact emergency services. A supervisor of an activity involving young people has the responsibility to assure that conditions exist to promote the highest degree of safety possible.
- All youth athletic organizations using Town fields must have completed background checks on coaches. Copies of background checks may be requested by the Recreation Department.
- All youth athletic organizations must comply with national standards for concussion education by providing education to coaches and parents.
- Fields should be used for appropriate sports. Activities should be suitable and compatible for the field selected.
- Any and all maintenance of the Town of Harwinton athletic fields will be performed by Town staff. NO alterations may be made to the fields by users.
- The installation or modification of any structure or equipment on Town of Harwinton property must receive prior written approval and permission from the Harwinton Recreation Director. If construction is taking place the contractor will be responsible for meeting any and all regulations required by the Town of Harwinton. This includes but is not limited to: building permits, certificates of insurance, planning and zoning approval, and inland wetland applications. The organization occupying the structure is liable for all maintenance and insurance of the structure.
Such structures when completed become the sole property of the Town of Harwinton.
- Town of Harwinton is not responsible or liable for any items or property left or stored on facility grounds by applicant.
- All municipal ordinances, regulations and policies must be complied with.
Teams, leagues, organizations and individuals who do not adhere to this Town of Harwinton policy will be subject to revocation of facility and field use privileges.
Adopted by the Recreation Commission: August 12, 2024
Adopted by the Board of Selectmen: October 15, 2024
Posted on the Harwinton Town Website: October 16, 2024