October 2016 Newsletter                                                                              10/26/2016

• Welcome
• Community Use Hours at Schools
• Fields Rainout Line
• Seven Day Advanced Notice
• Three-Hour Minimum on Weekends and Holidays at Schools
• Cancellation Policy
• Open House on Empowering Places of Worship with Information to Successfully Build, Expand or Otherwise Locate in Montgomery County
• Interfaith Domestic Violence Conference
• Contact Staff Directly
• Thank You

Welcome

After a long, hot summer, cooler weather is clearly upon us. It is difficult to believe that we might see snow soon! In our effort to keep all customers informed, we have included some warm and friendly reminders, information bulletins and some clarifying details that we believe will be of interest to user groups in this month’s newsletter.

Community Use Hours at Schools

Indoor and outdoor school facilities are generally available for community use activities when school is not in session. However, there are many facilities that have restricted times in order to accommodate the needs of school activities. Click here for a summary of hours available for community use of Montgomery County Public School facilities.

No permits will be issued for Thanksgiving Day. This is the only day of the year that school facilities are closed to community use.

It should be noted that MCPS staff coverage may be limited during break periods for students and cannot be guaranteed so it is essential to schedule these dates as far in advance as possible.

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Fields Rainout Line

Montgomery Parks is pleased to introduce a new, more convenient way for you to find out if a Montgomery Parks or MCPS athletic field is open, closed or experiencing inclement weather delays in real time!

Never miss a game by staying up-to-date with Montgomery Parks' new RainoutLine. For information, visit: www.montgomeryparks.org/rainoutline/

Please share this information with players, parents and other users you know.

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Seven Day Advanced Notice

As a reminder, community user groups may no longer submit reservation requests for use of public facilities with less than seven calendar days’ notice. The new software blocks all available dates with less than seven days advanced notice.

Since CUPF has always requested 10 business days’ notice for routine use bookings - this is a welcomed change for facility users and CUPF has appreciated the feedback. Please note that CUPF is not able to make exceptions to the seven days advance notice requirement for indoor and outdoor space. Plan ahead in order to ensure that you may use public facilities for your community events and activities.

This does not apply to large events. Large events require a minimum of four weeks advance notice and may not be submitted online. Visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cupf for definition of ‘large event’.

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Three-Hour Minimum on Weekends and Holidays at Schools

There is a three-hour minimum for all community use of public school facilities on weekends and holidays due to staffing guidelines. Please keep this in mind when scheduling your use via www.ActiveMONTGOMERY.org. This has been in place for decades; however, users may find that the system may allow requests for less hours. Upon review of requests by staff, additional time will be added to the permit to ensure that the three-hour minimum is met. The additional time will result in additional money due at time of payment.

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Cancellation Policy

CUPF manages the permit process for multiple public facilities in Montgomery County, including public schools, libraries, regional service centers, government buildings and others. Please note that different facilities require their own specific cancellation policies due to staffing requirements, HVAC programming, security needs, etc. Click here to view our comprehensive guide outlining the various cancellation policies for the wide variety of facilities that CUPF issues permits for community use.

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Open House on Empowering Places of Worship with Information to Successfully Build, Expand or Otherwise Locate in Montgomery County

Anyone from the faith-based community who desires to locate, develop, construct, expand or otherwise locate a place of worship in Montgomery County is encouraged to attend.

The open house will be held Wednesday, November 9, 2016, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Nancy H. Dacek North Potomac Community Center, located at 13850 Travilah Road, Rockville, MD 20850.

This program is sponsored by Montgomery County and Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC). Twelve partnering departments and agencies covering the full spectrum of needs and interests will be available to provide information and answer questions.

Please click here for more information about the program. You must register to attend.

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Interfaith Domestic Violence Conference

Faith-based community representatives are invited to the fourth annual Interfaith Domestic Violence Conference on Wednesday, November 9, 2016.

The conference will be held at the Judicial Institute of Maryland, located at 2001 C Commerce Park Drive, Annapolis, Maryland 21401. Both the event and parking are free. Breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Please click here for the information flyer. You must register to attend.

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Contact Staff Directly

Now that we have fully transitioned to ActiveMONTGOMERY for reservation requests, area coordinators for use of schools have returned. Visit our staff contact page for a list of schools that you can click to find the assigned staff as well as their email and telephone number for direct contact.

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Thank You

CUPF thanks each of our customers for your patience and support as we rolled out our new scheduling software over the last several months. Overall, feedback continues to be positive. We thank you for using public facilities for your community events and activities!

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255 Rockville Pike, Suite 201, Rockville, MD  20850 General Information 3-1-1 Call Center – TTY 1-800-735-2258 After Hours Emergency Number 240-490-CUPF (2873)                                  cupf@montgomerycountymd.gov