Community Use of Public Facilities Newsletter: January 5, 2018

• Inclement Weather Reminder
• Summer Camp Use of School Facilities
• Field League Permits
• Athletic Field Reservations
• Large Events At Schools During Summer Months
• Quince Orchard Library
• Council Office Building Auditorium
• Faith Communities Using Public Facilities
• Facility Fee Assistance Program
• Clarksburg Cottage Refresh
• Sidney Kramer Upcounty Regional Center Room Closures
• Seven Days Advanced Notice
• Three-Hour Minimum on Weekends and Holidays at Schools
• Cancellation Policy
• Customer Care

Welcome

It’s a chilly and damp day here in Montgomery County, Maryland! Brrrrrr! We are passing along some important updates, reminders and general announcements to warm up your day! We hope these information bits are helpful to our thousands of community user groups here in Montgomery County.

Come on out and join us for some FUN at the County’s Silver Spring Ice Skating Rink, located at the Silver Spring Civic Building. We had a blast with our penguin friends yesterday! In fact, the penguins said, “it’s not very cold for us– bring more people!!!” So, listening to the penguins, we encourage you to invite your friends, family members, or yourself to enjoy a nice day on the ice. For more info: www.silverspringiceskating.com

Inclement Weather Reminder

If you wish to find out about weather related closings, please:

1. Sign-up for Alert Montgomery: https://alert.montgomerycountymd.gov/
2. Check our website: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cupf
3. Call the CUPF inclement weather message line: 240-777-2710
4. Contact the MC311 call center: Dial 3-1-1 (240-777-0311 if outside Montgomery County)
5. Tune to local TV and Radio stations

Please note that if community use is cancelled by CUPF, a full credit of the rental fees for the hours cancelled will be issued. However, please be advised that while all users can certainly make their own choices whether or not to cancel their activities, it is only when activities have been officially cancelled by this office that credits will be issued.

Summer Camp Use of School Facilities

Reservation requests for registered summer camp programs desiring to use public school facilities during the summer should submit requests via the high-volume priority use form located at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cupf/info-other/Wforms/PHVBUR.html no later than February 1 each year in order to receive due priority and advanced placement where applicable. Requests of this nature may NOT be done via ActiveMONTGOMERY. The last day for summer camp programs in school buildings is August 10, 2018. 

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Field League Permits

Outdoor field league organizations have been contacted regarding their Spring 2018 field permits. If you are a league main contact and have not received your league’s historical permits for the spring, please email CUPF@montgomerycountymd.gov to address this. 

Athletic Field Reservations

Requests for synthetic and grass fields at schools, parks and recreation centers will be accepted for the spring season (March 15 - August 15) beginning on February 15. Natural grass fields should be reserved via www.ActiveMONTGOMERY.org; artificial turf should be requested via our priority and high-volume use reservation request form.

Large Events At Schools During Summer Months

Reservation requests for large events desiring to use public school facilities during the summer should be submitted via large events application form located at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cupf/info-cupf/resources.html no later than February 15 each year in order to receive due priority and advanced placement where applicable. Requests of this nature may NOT be done via ActiveMONTGOMERY. 

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Quince Orchard Library

The Quince Orchard Library celebrated a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on December 16, 2017 to reopen the branch after a 6 month renovation process. Many improvements have been made including updating the library community meeting room space.  

Council Office Building Auditorium

The Council Office Building (COB) Auditorium closed on December 13, 2017 to prepare for a renovation to the meeting space. Reopening time is TBD.

Faith Communities Using Public Facilities

Faith communities interested in buying land and building facilities will be well served attending a workshop held by the County to provide assistance. Join us at the Silver Spring Civic Building, One Veterans Place, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, January 17, 2018, at 6:30 p.m. It could save you precious time and major dollars in understanding the complex process and in making personal contacts with people responsible for managing approvals. Register at: www.tinyurl.com/rluworkshop. For further information you may contact the Interfaith Community Liaison, Rev. Kaseman, at Mansfield.Kaseman@MontgomeryCountyMD.gov or call 240-447-1715.

Facility Fee Assistance Program

The Facility Fee Assistance program helps nonprofit organizations and informal not for profit community groups pay for the use of public schools, libraries or County office buildings. This assistance is only for programs providing a service that primarily benefits vulnerable youth or limited income individuals and families. Recent changes to the guidelines for this program have been expanded to include the use of gyms and auditoriums in the schools and will now cover some of the cost for weekend activities. The Community Use of Public Facilities (CUPF) administers the program and we encourage anyone that is currently using our facilities for a program they believe may be eligible to contact us. Also contact us if you are interested in starting a new program that will primarily benefit vulnerable youth or limited income individuals and families. Contact us at (240) 777-2718 and find more detailed information on our website: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/cupf/info-other/Subsidy.html

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Clarksburg Cottage Refresh

The Clarksburg Cottage, a community building serving the Clarksburg community and surrounding areas, recently underwent a refresh project. The entire interior was painted, some of the exterior was painted, new exterior lighting was installed, new self-entry lock system was installed, security cameras are now in place, and the building was cleaned from top to bottom! It looks fabulous! We have received a great deal of feedback from groups that they love the new look. This facility is available for use via www.ActiveMONTGOMERY.org. 

Sidney Kramer Upcounty Regional Center Room Closures

Community use rooms at the Sidney Kramer Upcounty Regional Services Center may be unavailable for approximately 18 months as the facility has new windows installed throughout. The rooms will be used for relocating some offices and other tenants in the building as their spaces are impacted by the project. Please note that there are multiple other sites in that area available for use such as public schools, the Germantown library, and the Clarksburg Cottage. These sites may be reserved online via the customer e-portal at www.ActiveMONTGOMERY.org. 

Seven Days Advanced Notice

As a reminder, community user groups may submit reservation requests for use of public facilities with at least 7 calendar days’ notice. Since CUPF has always requested 10 business days’ notice for routine use bookings and 4 weeks notice for weekend use, for many years in the past, this has been a welcomed change for facility users. CUPF has appreciated the positive feedback since implementing this change with the rollout of the new scheduling software. Please note that CUPF is not able to make exceptions to the 7 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, a reservation request not meeting the three-hour minimum on a weekend will be denied. 

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. Check your permit or our web site to view our comprehensive guide outlining the various cancellation policies for the wide variety of facilities that CUPF issues permits for community use.

Customer Care

Please contact our office if you have any questions or concerns about information shared in this communication.  General Inquiries: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.: 240-777-2725 Email: cupf@montgomerycountymd.gov After-Hours Problem Line: If you experience a lockout, HVAC issue, security concern, equipment failure, rooms permitted not available for use upon arrival, or other similar situation, you must call 240-490-CUPF (2873) so that our office may assist in remedying the problem. Thank you for using public facilities for your community events and activities!  back-to-top