Why does the surface decide the placement?
Because the park's rules say the units must sit on dirt or concrete. Grass, gravel and slopes are not acceptable under those conditions, and a unit on the wrong surface can tip, sink or foul the turf.
A unit on grass wears the turf bare under its weight, and the wet ground around it becomes a slip hazard. A unit on gravel can settle unevenly, and a unit on a slope can tip when the door is used.
The technician checks the surface and moves the placement to a dirt or concrete spot before the site plan is drawn. The site plan then shows the spot the park approved, not the one that was easiest to reach.
What does the site plan have to show?
Each unit, its spot on dirt or concrete, the route from the event area to each unit, and the accessible unit's route. A plan that leaves any of those out can delay the permit.
The plan is a drawing of the event area with the units marked. It should show the parking, the entrances, the path to each unit and any hazard such as a drop-off or a water feature.
Keep a copy of the approved plan with the permit. The units are placed on the spots the plan shows, and the technician checks the plan against the ground on the delivery day.
- Each unit marked with a number on the drawing
- Each unit's surface, dirt or concrete
- The route from the event area to every unit
- The accessible unit and its route
- Hazards such as drop-offs, water features and slopes
How much notice does the Park Management Division need?
Two weeks. The Park Management Division asks for two weeks' notice before the event, and the permit application should go in on time with the site plan.
Two weeks is the minimum notice the City asks for in its park rules. A late application is a risk to the date, and this site does not promise a permit date that the City has not confirmed.
Plan the event date with that notice in mind, and confirm the date with the City before you send out invitations or book a delivery.
What about a private party in a park?
The City does not provide restrooms for private events. A private party in a park arranges its own units under the Park Use Permit, and the units are placed and serviced by the rental company.
A private party's guests are not different from a public event's guests in the eyes of the park. The units must sit on the approved surface and the site plan must show them.
If the party is small, a single standard unit on a dirt or concrete spot is often the simplest plan. The technician confirms the count on the phone.
What happens on the delivery day?
The technician checks the placement against the approved site plan, sets each unit on its spot and confirms the surface. Any spot that does not match the plan is corrected before the unit is left.
The check takes a short time, but it prevents the most common problem on a park day: a unit set in the wrong place because the field looked different from the drawing. The technician walks the plan with the applicant's contact.
If the ground has changed since the plan was filed, for example after rain, the technician stops and tells the applicant before the unit is set. The applicant decides the next step with the City.
How are the units serviced in a park?
On a schedule set in advance and posted at the units. The servicing truck uses the approved route, so it does not cross turf or a path the public uses.
A servicing truck on a park field can leave ruts and damage turf. The route is set on the plan, and the truck keeps to the paved or firm path where one exists.
The schedule is posted at the units and given to the applicant's contact, so the site knows when the next visit is due.
