Mint Hill updates park and recreation reservations

MINT HILL – The Town of Mint Hill is rolling out a new online system and fees to make reservations for parks and recreation amenities, town hall meeting rooms and special events. 

The revised fee schedule includes amenities for Veterans Memorial Park and Park on Wilgrove, such as synthetic turf fields, tennis and pickle ball courts, shelter rentals, softball fields and sand volleyball courts. People outside of Mint Hill can rent out these facilities, usually at double the price that a resident pays. 

“There's absolutely no change to our walk-up, play and use policy,” Deputy Town Manager Lee Bailey said. “Paid reservations are not required at the parks, so if anyone wants to go to the park and enjoy the park, they can do so just as they always have. Any playground, field, court, shelter, any park facility can be used by individuals, families, groups on a walk-up basis.”

These amenities are available first-come, first-serve. If others are waiting to use tennis courts or soccer fields, there is a time limit ranging from 60 to 90 minutes depending on the facility.

Bailey said Mint Hill has been charging reservation fees since 1984 with the most recent major change occurring around 2014. He said the town’s revised fee schedules are in the ballpark of fees charged by Mecklenburg County, Matthews, Indian Trail and Stallings.

The town will accept seasonal reservation requests. Reservations for February through August can be made beginning Jan. 1 of each year. July 1 is when you can make reservations for September through January. 

“The walk-up is available with no fees, no transactions,” Bailey said. “If it's vacant, nobody's using it, have fun but if you, a group or an organization wanted to have it on a specific day at a specific time, then reservations are required.”

Online reservations are designed to make it easier to reserve space. Bailey said it has been cumbersome for people to fill out a paper form or register online and still have to go to town hall to make payments. Now they can pay online, print off a form or use their phone to show proof of purchase. 

Bailey plans on introducing ordinance changes concerning parades, processionals and demonstrations at next month’s board of commissioners meeting. 

“We're trying to create just one process for special events,” Bailey said. “We're trying to just make a more streamlined process that's easier to explain and a little more customer-friendly."