Policies & Procedures

USE OF CREDIT/DEBIT CARDS –You now have the ability to use credit/debit cards at all of our concession stands, for pool and recreation center admissions, facility reservations, registrations and more.

Concession & Admission fees at this time have no additional fees for credit card usage! Seasonal Pool passes can now be purchased with a credit card! No checks are accepted in these areas with the exception of the Seasonal Pool passes.

For all other payments using a credit card a standard merchant fee that our card processing company charges will be applied.  This affects both on-site and payments made online.  The convenience fee 2.6% per card transaction (for example: if you have a $10.00 purchase, the added fee will be .26 cents). When paying online with an e-check their is a 1.0% merchant fee. Accepted credit cards are:  VISA, MasterCard, and Discover.   This added fee does not impact any cash, check or money order payments made.

REGISTRATIONS & FEES:

• We do not provide refunds. Refunds are only issued if we are unable to offer a league, class, program or venue (Please note it takes 7-14 business days to receive).
• Enrollment is on a first come, first served basis.
• Payment accepted:  VISA, MasterCard, Discover, cash, check or money order.  Please see information in section above regarding merchant fees for credit/debit card use and e-check for online payments.
• There will be a $25 fee for all returned checks.
• You are paying for your child’s spot, not their attendance. No make-ups, refunds or credits will be given for missed classes.
• Please mark your calendar. No confirmation or reminders will be sent. You are only notified if there is a problem processing your registration or if class is cancelled.
• Online registration information provided clearly states registration deadlines.
• Late registrations for programs and leagues will be charged an additional $10 late fee (this includes Dance and Gymnastics).
• We recommend you use Chrome or Edge when visiting our website/online registration.
• Please be aware that some of our leagues and programs may overlap.  So, for example, it is not recommended that you sign up for both fall basketball and soccer since this will pose a problem with practices and games that may fall on the same day/evening.
• Our programs have minimum enrollment requirements that must be met in order to hold the class. Sometimes we have wonderful classes with excellent instructors cancelled because people wait to register. PLEASE DON’T WAIT TO REGISTER!

SCHOLARSHIP POLICY INFORMATION:

• Please note that there are required documents that must be attached in order to submit the application.
• Scholarships can only be applied for recreation leagues, gymnastics classes and swim lessons.
• All applications must be submitted at least 20 days before the activity’s registration deadline.
• To view the full policy or to apply for scholarship consideration, please use this APPLICATION.

SPORT EVENT ADMISSIONS:

• Any sporting event held in the Recreation Center is subject to a $3 admission charge (ages 5 and under are FREE, unless otherwise advertised).  Payment can be made using cash or credit/debit cards.
• Children ages 10 and under MUST be accompanied by an adult (age 18 and up).
• League games are open to spectators, however, it is important that all those in attendance conduct themselves in a respectful manner to others and to the property.  M-BC Parks & Recreation reserves the right to address any patrons who show signs of negative, aggressive, foul or uncontrollable behavior by way of a warning, or depending on the severity of the offense, being removed and/or banned from the facility.

PAVILION RESERVATION PROCEDURES:  

• Pavilion reservations for the 2024 season began TUESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2024 at 8:30am BOTH online or in-person.
• Reservations can be made ONLINE or IN-PERSON (at our Berkeley 2000 Rec Center Administrative Office or the W. Randy Smith Rec Center Administrative Office) only. We are no longer taking payments or reservations over the phone.
• Pavilion rentals require full payment to be made AT THE TIME of reservation. We are not able to provide date or pavilion ‘holds’.
• If you are out of town and cannot come in-person to make your reservation and payment, you should plan to make your reservation online or designate someone local to come into the office to make the reservation and payment for you.
• Please retain your receipt and permit provided to you at the time of reservation and take it with you to the park on the day of your event.
• A pavilion reservation is for the whole day (no hourly rentals) during normal park hours-dawn to dusk.  Please be aware that even though the permit you receive will state 8am-8pm, this is only because our reservation system requires that we provide a start and end time and those timeframes are most common. However, when dusk occurs before 8pm, that overrides your permit time and you will need to leave the premises.
• If you cancel 60 days or less prior to your event, the full payment made is forfeited and no refund is available for any reason.  NO RAIN DATES. 
• We do our best to ensure that your pavilion clean before your rental date.  However, these are outdoor structures, and the possibility of storms or vandalism can occur, impacting the cleanliness and appearance of the pavilions.  In the event that upon your arrival, you find your pavilion has significant issues, damage or hazards, we ask that you please take photographs.  We have a no-refund policy inside of 60 days of your rental, therefore any request for a full or partial refund must be done so in writing with supporting photographs and documentation within 24 hours of your pavilion use.  Send these to info@mbcparks-rec.org for review.  Refunds are approved on a case-by-case basis and not guaranteed.
• If you need assistance, (if someone is using your pavilion) take your permit to the concession stand during our summer season and explain the situation to a park employee- they will assist you. If you have rented your pavilion in the off-season, please call the local non-emergency police line for assistance.
• You may decorate the pavilion on the day of your rental. USE TAPE OR STRING ONLY. At the end of your pavilion use, remove all decorations and any items you are not taking home with you, put into the trash cans provided.  Failure to leave the pavilion as you found it could result in loss of future rental privileges. 
• Pavilion rentals are for personal use only (i.e. picnics with family or friends, celebrations such as baby showers and birthdays, and the like, etc.).  Inflatables such as moon bounces or other recreational items are NOT permitted for personal, social pavilion rentals.
• Pavilion use for things to include public or community events, MUST have prior approval through the M-BC Parks & Recreation administrative office before it can be booked or advertised. A Special Event Facility Use Application will need to be completed and submitted for approval.  Please call 304-264-4842 if you have any questions.

POOL PARTY RESERVATION PROCEDURES:  

• Reservations for both War Memorial Pool and Lambert Pool will take place on April 24, 2024 starting at 8:30am.
• NEW for 2024!: Pool party reservations can be made ONLINE or IN-PERSON.  We cannot take reservations or payments over the phone.  Dates are booked on a first come, first served basis.
• ALL pool party reservation payments will be required IN-FULL the DAY OF the reservation is made.  No holds.
• Private pool reservations are $200 PER HOUR (WITH A MINIMUM OF 2 HOURS) and covers up to 100 people inside the pool yard area, regardless if they are swimming or not. For rentals that exceed 100 guests, please note that there is an additional fee and this must be added at the time of booking.
• We do require a head count at the time of booking to ensure the necessary number of lifeguards are scheduled for coverage of your event. Failure to make your reservation with the additional guests will result in non-entry of those extra guests. We are unable to take payment at the door or provide additional needed staff on such short notice. Notifications made any time after booking cannot be guaranteed.
• If you prefer to make an in-person reservation but are unable to do so personally, you can designate someone local to handle the reservation and payment for you.
• If you cancel 30 days or more prior to your event, and an alternative date cannot be arranged, 50% of your payment will be forfeited and the remainder will be refunded.
• Cancellations made 30 days or less prior to your event will receive NO refunds and NO rescheduling.
• On the day of your event, if there is inclement weather or inclement weather in the immediate forecast, a member of our M-BC Parks & Recreation Staff will contact you regarding your pool reservation.  If during your party there is a storm and the lifeguards remove you from the pool, you have the right to wait the required time before resuming to swim OR you can notify the lifeguards you wish to end your party and our office will contact you the next business day to discuss options (rescheduling remaining time of your party for another day or you can receive a partial refund based on time remaining, if applicable).
• No modifications (to include changing a date) can be made to an existing reservation.  The only exception, which must be done more than 30 days prior to your event, is adding time to the end of your reservation, if available.
• You may not enter the pool area prior to your scheduled party time (i.e. to decorate).  There is a short window between groups and our pool staff needs that time to clean, disinfect and prep after public hours or a previous party.
• You may decorate the pavilion in the pool area on the day of your rental. USE TAPE OR STRING ONLY. All decorations must be removed and thrown away or taken with you at the end of your reservation.
• You may bring outside food and drinks.  NO alcohol or glass permitted.  You may bring your own grill, but it is to be kept in the grassy area.
• Alcohol and smoking/tobacco is not permitted inside the pool area or on park property.
• Please read and follow any posted signage to include those related to safety precautions and expected behavior that need to be followed.  Your safety in the water and outside of the water is of the highest priority!  We ask that all patrons do their part by following all rules set in place.  Our staff has the right to bring any infractions of the rules to a patron’s attention in the way of a warning, and depending on the severity of the action of the patron or their unwillingness to comply, our staff has the right to ask those patrons to leave the park facility immediately and may not be allowed to return for the season.

PARK RULES:

• All of our parks are tobacco and alcohol-free.
• Dogs are allowed in our city and county parks, however, they must remain on a leash at all times and any waste cleaned up and properly disposed of.  The only off-leash area is our dog parks which are membership-based.  Call our office for more information about joining the Wurzburg Dog Park and Goldie Gibbons Dog Park.
• The M-BCP&R Board and Staff is not responsible for lost, late or misdirected mail.
• Our staff works very hard to maintain the beauty of our parks and to keep them clean. This is an ongoing project because so many people utilize the facilities every day. Please clean the area in and around the pavilion before you leave. Report any vandalism to a park employee or call our office.
• No pop-up tents.
• Please do not move picnic tables around the park.
• Metal detecting is not allowed in any of our public parks.

WINTER WEATHER-RELATED DELAY AND CLOSURE POLICIES:

In the event of inclement weather, we do not follow Berkeley County Schools procedures, but we do take them into consideration when making decisions about opening our office and/or holding activities.  This is our standard operating procedure; however, we always advise that you check our website and Facebook page for additional information and any possible changes:

• When Berkeley Co. Schools are on a TWO-HOUR DELAY (due to inclement weather/hazardous road conditions; this does not pertain to extreme cold temperature concern delays), our Administrative Offices (to include Gymnastics) will open at 10:00AM.  Any activities held at the Recreation Centers on or before 10:00AM will be cancelled.  This procedure is at the discretion of the Executive Director and is subject to change.
• When Berkeley Co. Schools are CLOSED (due to inclement weather/hazardous road conditions), our Administrative Offices (to include Gymnastics) will plan to OPEN at 12:00 Noon.  Any activities, to include Gymnastics, that take place at or before 12:00 (Noon) will be cancelled.  Depending on the weather situation occurring at time, we will evaluate the conditions and may determine to remain closed for the day (with all activities for the day and evening cancelled). This procedure is at the discretion of the Executive Director and is subject to change.
• Anytime Berkeley Co. Schools are CLOSED or cancel evening activities in their facilities, M-BCP&R will evaluate the weather and road conditions and determine how our offerings will proceed that evening.  Decisions are made and announced via Facebook, our website (homepage notice bar), and if applicable, an email from the Rec Coordinator or the instructor by 3:00PM that day.

EXCESSIVE HEAT GUIDELINES FOR OUTDOOR LEAGUES & PROGRAMS:

• League and Program Coordinators will make determinations on any cancellations or location changes of leagues, programs or classes that take place outdoors due to dangerous heat index levels and contact participants with information.  Below is a link to provide information for parents and instructors regarding dehydration and other heat illnesses.  There is also an activity guidelines chart for heat index to determine proper hydration, breaks and if cancellations/venue change is needed.
  • Heat Illness & Heat Index Guidelines

OTHER GENERAL INFORMATION:

• The M-BCP&R reserves the right to take pictures at all events and programs. Pictures may be displayed in future Parks & Recreation brochures and publications.

SWIMMING POOL SAFETY & INFORMATION:

• Lightning’s behavior is random and unpredictable. We recommend a very conservative attitude towards it. Preparedness and quick responses are the best defenses towards the lightning hazard.
• Swimming pools are connected to a much larger surface area via underground water pipes, gas lines, electric and telephone wiring, etc. Lightning strikes to the ground anywhere on this metallic network may induce shocks elsewhere.
• The National Lightning Safety Institute recommends the following swimming pool safety procedures:
  • Designate a responsible person as the weather safety lookout. That person should keep an eye on the weather. Use a “weather radio” or the Weather Channel or other TV program to obtain good localized advanced weather information.
  • When thunder and/or lightning are first noticed, use the Flash-To-Bang (F-B) method to determine its’ rough distance and speed. This technique measures the time from seeing lightning to hearing associated thunder. For each five seconds from F-B, lightning is one mile away. Thus, a F-B of 10 = 2 miles; 15 = 3 miles; 20 = 4 miles; etc. At a F-B count of thirty, the pool should be evacuated. People should be directed to safe shelter nearby.
  • Pool activities should remain suspended until thirty minutes after the last thunder is heard. The distance from Strike A to Strike B to Strike C can be some 5-8 miles away. And it can strike much farther away. Why take a chance with lightning?
• Teach this safety slogan: “IF YOU CAN SEE IT, FLEE IT; IF YOU CAN HEAR IT, CLEAR IT.”
• Children ages 10 and under MUST be accompanied by a paying adult (ages 18 and up).
• There are no rain checks or refunds for patrons.  This includes for reasons due to inclement weather or being asked to leave the premises.