Granite Shoals park rental fees go up due to left-behind trash and alcohol rule-breakers
People must now pay a $50 deposit fee along with a $50 rental fee to use Crockett (pictured here), Blue Briar, and Veterans parks in Granite Shoals for events such as reunions and parties. The deposit fee is refundable as long as the renter cleans up after their event. Staff photo by Jennifer Greenwell
STAFF WRITER JENNIFER FIERRO
GRANITE SHOALS — Those wishing to rent parks in the city of Granite Shoals are going to need to dig deeper into their pockets.
Granite Shoals City Council approved raising the deposit fee for the city’s community center, located at 1208 N. Phillips Ranch Road, from $200 to $300 for residents on top of a $100 rental fee per day. Nonresident rental fees are $300 per day to rent the facility and an additional $300 rental deposit. If renters comply with all the rules of the rental agreement, they will get the deposit back. The council also added a $50 deposit to go along with the $50 rental fee for Blue Briar, Crockett, and Veterans parks. If the facilities are cleaned well after the event, renters will get the deposit back.
Each of those parks has a pavilion and restrooms.
Assistant City Manager Peggy Smith said some renters weren’t picking up after themselves and leaving trash at the parks.
“They were leaving the facilities just nasty,” she said.
The reason for the rent increase for the community center, Smith said, is because some renters violated the no-alcohol in parks ordinance and were leaving beverage containers behind.
“There’s no alcohol at any of the parks,” Smith said. “We go over that (with renters). The city has always had that ordinance.”
City staff made the recommendations to City Council with the thinking that most renters will take care of the city’s facilities better when it involves their money.
“You have to hit them in the pocketbook to get their attention,” she said.
In other city business, Republic Services, which has a contract with the city for trash pickup, will now provide residents with new 96-gallon recycling bins to replace the 18-gallon bins in use.
Go to graniteshoals.org for more on city of Granite Shoals services.