Park Rental Policy

PURPOSE & DESCRIPTION OF PARK POLICY

The City of North St. Paul has two enclosed facilities and four open-air shelters available for rent by the public. Requests are on a first-come, first-served basis.  Park facilities are available to North St. Paul residents and non-residents at a minimum cost. This policy provides guidelines for City staff and those who utilize the park facilities.

FACILITIES AVAILABLE FOR RENT


ENCLOSED FACILITIES  

  • Casey Lake Park Building
  • Hause Park Building

OPEN-AIR FACILITIES

  • Colby Hills
  • Hause (included with building rental)
  • Silver Lake
  • Northwood 

FACILITY USAGE SPECIFICATIONS 

Rental Requests: Any person or group wishing to reserve a North St. Paul park facility must complete a rental application online at northstpaul.org and pay the appropriate fee and damage deposit to the City of North St. Paul. Payments can be made online, or payment may be made by cash or check at the North St. Paul City Hall located at 2400 Margaret Street, North St. Paul, MN 55109. Requests for reservations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The City shall have first priority for use for all governmental activities, including maintenance.  

Rentals will be approved, denied, or revoked at the sole discretion of the City Manager. The City will not deny or revoke rental on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, disability, sex, sexual orientation, or status with regard to public assistance. The City will not deny or revoke rental on the basis of content or viewpoint, except to the extent allowed by law. The City may deny or revoke rental on any other reasonable basis, including, but not limited to, the previous rental by the same group or individual which resulted in damage, disruptive behavior, or violation of the law. Approving a rental is not an endorsement by the City of that individual’s or group’s views.

City residents shall have first priority to rent facilities. Resident registration will start on December 1 at 8:00 a.m. for the following year; non-resident registration will begin a month later on January 3 at 8:00 a.m.  If the first day of registration falls on a day City Offices are closed, registration will start the next business day.  

Only one reservation will be accepted each day for each facility. 

Reservations are valid for park hours 7 a.m. – 11 p.m. only. Per City Ordinance alcohol shall not be consumed after 9:00 p.m. All reservations must be cleaned up and out of the park building by 11:00 p.m. or they will automatically forfeit their deposit.

Deposits: Damage deposits must be paid with your reservation. After your rental, and upon the return of the key and inspection of the building the damage deposit will be refunded within 2-4 weeks. All refunds from the City of North St. Paul are paid by a check made payable to the applicant on the reservation. See the section on “Set up, Clean Up & Damage” for information on how your deposit may be impacted.

Tents:   Only 10’ X 10’ pop-up tents are allowed. The maximum number of tents is 2 per reservation. Tents must be secured with sandbags or weights. Staking tents into the ground is not allowed.

Inflatables/Moon Bounces: Unless it is a City-sponsored event, inflatables/moon bounces are not allowed. 

No fireworks may be discharged on City-owned property including parks, ball fields, parking lots or other similar properties owned by the City of North St. Paul.

Food Trucks and Food Vendors: Up to two food trucks are allowed per reservation. All food vendors and food trucks must have a current City vendor license on file. A list of current vendors is available from the Community Development Department. At Casey Lake Park, food trucks may be parked on the sidewalk in between the Shelter and Booya building and in the motorcycle parking space with the serving window facing the sidewalk only. At Hause Park, food trucks may be parked on the street. Food trucks must not block access to buildings.  

Facility Tours: Only one facility tour is allowed per reservation. Additional facility tours will be assessed at a $50 per visit fee.
 
Enclosed Facility Reservation Occupancy:

  • Hause Park 49 people (seating capacity for 30)
  • Casey Lake Shelter 215 people (seating capacity for 95)

Video Surveillance:  The premise is under video surveillance. Compliance with rental terms may be enforced through a review of video surveillance.

Keys: Building keys for the Hause Park Building must be picked up from City Hall, Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., and no more than 2 days prior to your scheduled event. Keys must be returned to City Hall, or its after-hours drop boxes, the next day. Failure to pick up the Hause Park key resulting in an after-hours or weekend staff call will result in loss of deposit. The fee is based on the on-call staff member coming out to open the building for the rental.

Failure to return the Hause Park Key will result in the loss of the entire damage deposit. 

Keycodes for the Casey Lake Building will be posted in the applicant’s online Park & Recreation account and emailed to the account holder one week prior to the rental.
 
Special Licensing: Sale of alcohol or special events that are open to the public will require a Special Event Permit and corresponding insurance and may require a Minnesota Department of Health license if eligible. Proof of license must be provided with reservation.

Fee Waiver: No fees shall be waived for any group except for City-sanctioned or City-sponsored events. 

Decorating Information: All decorations must be put up and taken down without damaging walls, woodwork, floors, ceilings, or blinds. Nails, tape, tacks, staples, 3M command strips, and screws are prohibited. Glitter and confetti are also prohibited.Do not hang decorations from the sprinkler heads. White mounting putty is permissible but must be completely removed after use. With the exception of food warmers (sternos) no open flame devices are allowed, which includes candles, hurricane lamps, lanterns, etc. Dance wax or any other types of dancing compounds are not allowed. The renter must remove decorations immediately following the event.

Set Up, Clean Up & Damage: The renter is required to stack and rack all tables and chairs, and remove personal equipment at the conclusion of the rental. The renter is responsible for cleaning the kitchen and all areas utilized, including wiping off tables & chairs, sweeping, taking care of spills, spot mopping floors, placing garbage and recyclables in appropriate bins, and removing all decorations, personal equipment, etc. The facility is expected to be left in the same condition the renter found it. The City of North St. Paul is not responsible for any equipment or other items left at Park Facilities at any time. Place all trash and recycling receptacles near the main entrance.  The renter will be held responsible and billed for any unnecessary clean-up, losses, or damages above and beyond your deposit as well as be subject to loss of rental privileges.

Smoking/Tobacco: Smoking, e-cigarettes, and the use of tobacco products is strictly prohibited in North St. Paul Parks and in all park facilities. 

Police Security: Reservations with 150+ persons in attendance that plan to consume alcohol must reserve the facility at least six weeks in advance of their reservation and will be required to hire an off-duty North St. Paul Police Officer or Reserve Officer at the OT Patrol Officer rate as listed in the fee schedule at a three-hour minimum. The City, at its discretion, may waive the police presence requirement based on a review of the applicant submittal.
 
Refunds and Cancellations:  If the applicant cancels their rental within 13 days from the date of their reservation, they will forfeit their rental fees. All canceled reservations are subject to a $25 administrative fee for cancellations. Weather-related refunds are only issued when North St. Paul schools, places of worship, and/or local businesses are closed by snow, ice, or other severe weather conditions for the entire day or at the discretion of the City Manager. Weather-related closures can be found on WCCO, KARE11, KSTP, and KMSP Fox 9.

Applicants may reschedule their event to another available date for a $25 administrative charge by notifying the City of North St. Paul within 13 days from the date of their reservation. Any reschedule within the 13 days is charged the entire amount of the original rental fee. 

Animals:   Pets are not allowed in enclosed park shelters; service dogs are welcome. 

Colby Hills and Northwood: Colby Hills and Northwood Parks do not have restrooms onsite; renters will be responsible for providing their own port-a-potty from a licensed vendor. 

Hause Park: The outdoor open-aired shelter is included with the facility rental.

Casey Lake: Both the outdoor patio and indoor space will be included in the reservation. If the outdoor patio space is not being used by the reservation, the public is not prohibited from utilizing the outdoor space. The Booya covered patio will be left open for residents to use on a first come first serve basis. The shelter restrooms will be available to the public during park hours.    

Fees and rental specifications will be periodically reviewed by the Parks and Recreation Commission and staff to ensure the policy is adequately meeting the needs of the community and City.