Chapter 12. Community Center

The following rules and regulations shall govern the use of the "Bellaire Civic Center", also commonly referred to as the "Bellaire Community Building," located at 7008 South Rice Avenue, Bellaire, Texas, and the CenterPoint Energy Community Center located at 7001 Fifth Street, Bellaire, Texas.

(Ord. No. 08-020, § 1(App. A), 4-7-2008)

(a) The areas rentable shall be:

(1) The auditorium/civic center;

(2) Meeting room/civic center; and

(3) CenterPoint Energy Community Center;

(b) The rental periods permitted shall be between the hours of 6:00 a.m. to midnight.

(c) The rental rates for the auditorium/civic center, the meeting room/civic center and the CenterPoint Energy Community Center shall be as follows:

(1) The City Manager of the City of Bellaire is hereby delegated and authorized to establish a fee schedule for the rental of the Civic Center and CenterPoint Energy Community Center. The city manager is further authorized to amend such fee schedule from time to time. The city manager, in establishing such fee schedule, shall cause same to be promulgated by filing a copy with the City Clerk of the City of Bellaire and the city's department of parks and recreation.

(2) Civic clubs and youth groups (Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, 4-H, and other similar groups), as a group, shall be entitled to one free period per year.

(3) When the use of the building precedes or extends past the rentable period, additional rental shall be paid per hour at a rate as determined by the promulgated fee schedule. Any fraction of an hour shall be counted as one full hour.

(d) The city council chambers shall not be a rentable venue. However, nonpartisan civic, nonprofit, and educational organizations may be allowed limited use of the chambers with the permission of the city manager. Meetings of the Bellaire City Council and all official city boards, committees, and commissions shall have priority for use of the council chambers.

(e) The city parks and recreation director has the authority to adjust conflicting rental times and to determine the availability of the areas for rental.

(f) The city parks and recreation director shall establish uniform rules and procedures relating to the use and reservation of the rentable areas and shall develop a standard use agreement, hold harmless agreement and user consent form for the use of such areas.

(Ord. No. 08-020, § 1(App. A), 4-7-2008)

Non-profit civic group rentals shall be limited to organizations of ten or more persons based within the city, of which more than 50 percent of the individuals belonging to such organization are residents of Bellaire.

(Ord. No. 08-020, § 1(App. A), 4-7-2008)

All individuals and groups desiring to use any part of the buildings shall execute a written agreement, in a form as shall be prescribed by the city manager, for the use of one of the buildings, and shall deposit with the recreation department, in cash, check, money order, Master Card or Visa, in advance, the full sum of the rental charges.

(Ord. No. 08-020, § 1(App. A), 4-7-2008)

No alcoholic beverages of any kind shall be dispensed or consumed in the building or on the premises where it is located unless a person or organization has first obtained a special use permit from the city manager or his designee. Special use permit procedures are outlined in Chapter 3, section 3-4, exception to general prohibition: special permit required to sell, possess, or consume alcoholic beverages in public places, and section 3-5, special permit procedures.

(Ord. No. 08-020, § 1(App. A), 4-7-2008)

No person shall use any part of the buildings without the advance written consent of the city; and no individual or group shall use the buildings in the absence of a duly designated representative of the city, and all persons using such buildings shall comply with the directions of such representative.

(Ord. No. 08-020, § 1(App. A), 4-7-2008)

No agreement for the use of the buildings shall be considered final unless fully executed and all charges in connection therewith are paid in cash, check, money order, MasterCard or Visa to the recreation department at least 48 hours in advance of the date of contemplated usage, and such final agreement may be cancelled by the renter and refund of money obtained by written notice delivered to the recreation department not less than two days in advance of the date of contemplated usage.

(Ord. No. 08-020, § 1(App. A), 4-7-2008)

Public elections have priority for the use of the buildings over all other applicants.

(Ord. No. 08-020, § 1(App. A), 4-7-2008)

The city reserves the right to refuse use of any part of its community buildings to any person, group, club, organization or entity, for any of the following reasons:

(1) The agreement (including any required attachments and submissions) is not fully completed and executed;

(2) The applicant has not tendered the required fee or deposit with the application or has not tendered any other required agreements, certificate or bond;

(3) The agreement contains a material falsehood or misrepresentation;

(4) The applicant is legally incompetent to contract or to sue and be sued;

(5) The applicant or the person on whose behalf the agreement is sought has on prior occasions damaged municipal property and has not paid in full for such damage, or has other outstanding and unpaid debts to the municipality;

(6) A fully executed prior agreement for the same time and place has been received, and an agreement has been or will be made with a prior applicant authorizing uses or activities which do not reasonably permit multiple occupancy of the buildings or parts hereof;

(7) The use or activity intended by the applicant would conflict with previously planned programs organized and conducted by the municipality and previously scheduled for the same time and place;

(8) The proposed use or activity is prohibited by or inconsistent with the classifications and uses of the buildings or parts thereof designated;

(9) The use or activity intended by the applicant would present an unreasonable danger to the health or safety of the applicant, or other users of the building, the municipality, or of the public;

(10) The applicant has not complied or cannot comply with applicable licensure requirements, ordinances or regulations of the municipality concerning the sale or offering for sale of any goods or services; and/or

(11) The use or activity intended by the applicant is prohibited by law, by this Code or other ordinances.

(Ord. No. 08-020, § 1(App. A), 4-7-2008)

Users shall not decorate the buildings with any flammable material whatsoever, and shall not use any tack, nail, scotch tape, or any other device or material in such a way as to injure the buildings in any way.

(Ord. No. 08-020, § 1(App. A), 4-7-2008)

Users shall not operate the controls for any light, thermostat, lock, or other equipment, all of which are to be operated only by the representative of the city.

(Ord. No. 08-020, § 1(App. A), 4-7-2008)

No functions for minors under the age of 18 shall be held without continuous proper adult supervision, consisting of one adult for each 25 minors or fraction thereof, and the presence of one Bellaire Police Officer for each 100 minors, the officer, or officers, to be contracted for two days in advance of said function.

(Ord. No. 08-020, § 1(App. A), 4-7-2008)

The city shall not be responsible for loss of property, or personal injury sustained by users of the buildings, and users shall agree to hold the city harmless from all damages to the community buildings and to the persons and property of all users, spectators, supervisors and custodians.

(Ord. No. 08-020, § 1(App. A), 4-7-2008)