ALPHARETTA RECREATION AND PARKS DEPARTMENT
Registration and Refund Policies, Guidelines, and Procedures

Effective December 1, 2012
(for programs beginning at the end of November 2012 and beyond)

Participant Conduct and Discipline Policy

Purpose: The City of Alpharetta Recreation and Parks Department (“ARPD”) has established Registration Policies and Procedures to provide fair, consistent, and efficient processes for the general public to register for recreation programs.

1. Priority Registration for ARPD programs begins two (2) weeks before Open Registration. Priority Registration is for City of Alpharetta residents plus any City of Milton residents who participated in the same recreation program with ARPD the previous year. During Priority Registration, City of Alpharetta residents may register online, in person, by fax, by mail, or by emailing a completed Activity Registration Form to recreation@alpharetta.ga.us. Returning participants who are residents of the City of Milton can register during Priority Registration and must register in person at any ARPD facility during business hours (8:30am-5pm Monday-Thursday and 8:30am-4:30pm Friday).

2. City of Milton Registration for ARPD programs begins one (1) week before Open Registration. City of Milton Registration is for City of Milton residents. Milton residents may register in person at any ARPD facility during regular business hours, by fax, by mail, or by e-mailing a completed Activity Registration Form to recreation@alpharetta.ga.us. All City of Alpharetta residents are eligible to register online, in person, by fax, by mail, or email during City of Milton Registration.

3. Open Registration for ARPD programs is held two (2) weeks after the start of Priority Registration. Registration methods available during Open Registration include online (for applicable programs), in person, by fax, by mail, or by email.

4. City of Milton residents shall pay the same fees for ARPD recreation programs as City of Alpharetta residents. Under the terms of a mutually beneficial partnership with the City of Milton, City of Alpharetta residents may register for City of Milton Parks and Recreation Department recreation programs and their partner youth athletic association programs prior to City of Milton’s Open Registration period. City of Alpharetta residents shall pay the same fees as City of Milton residents.

5. City of Milton residents who choose to register online for recreation programs during Open Registration will be charged non-resident fees by the online registration software system due to current online registration software. However, these non-resident fees shall be refunded upon request. City of Milton residents must email recreation@alpharetta.ga.us to request refund of non-resident fees paid during online registration. The refund will be issued to the customer’s credit card. Once the refund has been processed, ARPD will email a credit voucher to the customer.

6. The privileges of advanced registration and same fee structure for recreation and parks programs for City of Alpharetta and City of Milton residents shall be in effect for the duration of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Cities.

7. ARPD does not typically accept program registrations over the phone. Exceptions may be made if deemed appropriate by City staff in their sole discretion due to unforeseen circumstances, i.e. issues with the City of Alpharetta server that affects the capability of a customer to register online for a program). ARPD staff will email or mail payment receipts to customers who register over the phone, and will send an Activity Registration Form for the customer to complete and send back to ARPD before the first scheduled class or practice. City of Milton residents may not register over the phone during Priority Registration and City of Milton Registration.

8. ARPD does not guarantee space in any recreation program to anyone.

9. A City of Alpharetta Resident is defined as any person whose legal domicile is located within the taxpaying jurisdiction of the City of Alpharetta. A City of Milton Resident is defined as any person whose legal domicile is located within the taxpaying jurisdiction of the City of Milton. Proof of residency must be provided upon request.

10. Any person living outside of the City of Alpharetta and the City of Milton who wishes to register for programs offered in locations other than Wills Park (because of contract obligation–see # 11) will be charged an additional 50% to 75%, depending on program, of the resident registration fee in order to participate in ARPD recreation programs.

11. Persons living in unincorporated areas of Fulton County will be charged the same fee as City of Alpharetta residents for programs held at Wills Park including Wills Park Recreation Center, Wills Park Tennis Center, and Alpharetta City Pool. Fulton County residents must register during open registration. Participants who live outside Fulton County will be charged an additional 50% to 75%, depending on program, of the resident registration fee in order to participate in city recreational programs.

12. Non-resident fee for adult athletic programs is $25 per person on the team roster. City of Alpharetta and City of Milton residents do not pay this fee.

13. Minimum Registration: All programs have a predetermined minimum number of participants who need to be enrolled (paid) in order for the class to “make.” If the minimum enrollment is not reached before the program begins, the class will be cancelled or postponed.

14. Maximum registration: All programs are limited in size and are filled on a first come, first serve basis. If a program has reached its capacity, names will be placed on a waiting list. City of Alpharetta residents and City of Milton residents will be given priority on the wait list as space in programs becomes available.

15. The City of Alpharetta provides equal opportunity without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, veterans’ status, and disability. The City of Alpharetta complies with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and will provide reasonable accommodations to members of the public, if so requested.

16. ARPD program participants must adhere to the Participant Conduct and Discipline Policy. Call 678-297-6100 or email recreation@alpharetta.ga.us for a copy of this policy.

17. Postponements Due to Inclement Weather: If inclement weather occurs, contact our “RAIN OUT” numbers listed in the Table of Contents of the current ARPD Leisure Guide. Youth programs are typically not held if Fulton County schools close for inclement weather. Adult programs may be held if deemed safe and appropriate to do so by the program instructor and/or ARPD. Customers should contact the Recreation Center where the program will be held to check on the status of the program.

18. Cash Policy: Cash payments for programs and rentals made after 4:30pm must be paid with exact change. Customers paying with cash will be provided with a payment receipt.

19. Credit Card Policy: ARPD accepts Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Card holder must present a photo ID at the time of processing and must sign a copy of the receipt. Payments made over the phone, by fax, or by email will be noted as such in the signature section of the receipt. The customer is responsible to submit a completed Activity Registration Form to ARPD prior to the first scheduled class or practice.

20. Check Policy: Checks are payable to A.R.P.D. (Alpharetta Recreation and Parks Department). Payee must show valid photo ID.

21. Make-Up Classes: Classes postponed by the department or the instructor due to emergencies, holidays or other reasons will be rescheduled by the instructor. Classes missed by the participant will not be made up or refunded.

22. Family Discount: Any family that has more than one of its IMMEDIATE family members registering for the SAME program (including but not limited to the following: same activity number with the same first four digits, same season/week of the same program with different age groups, spouses in same program, etc.) will receive a 10% discount off individual resident registration fee per additional person. IMMEDIATE FAMILY is defined as the same family/same household. The first person pays the regular registration fees. Discount applies to children and adult programs. No discounts will be granted to family members registering for separate programs. Discount would apply to residents and nonresidents. Due to computer registration software limitations, this discount is not available to participants who register online.

23. Scholarships: ARPD has a Scholarship Program for qualified City of Alpharetta residents. Call 678-297-6100 or email recreation@alpharetta.ga.us for more information.

24. Employee Discount: City of Alpharetta employees and their immediate family members may be eligible for a discount on ARPD programs. Call 678-297-6100 or email recreation@alpharetta.ga.us for current employee discount policy.

REFUND POLICIES AND PROCEDURES: Purpose: Refund Policies and Procedures are designed to ensure customer satisfaction by providing clearly defined time periods for customers who are unable or unwilling to continue participating in an ARPD recreation program for any reason to request a refund of program registration fees or a portion of registration fees.

A. Refund Policy for General Recreation Instructional and Art Classes: Any participant may receive a refund of their registration fee minus a $5 service charge if the refund is requested by midnight two business days prior to the second scheduled class. No refund will be issued after the second class meeting. Material/supply fee (payable to the instructor) will only be refunded if the class is canceled by the Department.

B. Refund Policy for ARPD Youth Athletic Leagues: Any participant may receive 50% refund of their league registration fee if the refund is requested by midnight two calendar days prior to the first player evaluation or at least two weeks prior to the scheduled league practice start date if there are no player evaluations (as noted in the leisure guide). No refund will be issued after this time.

C. Refund Policy for Adult Athletic Leagues: No refunds will be issued to teams requesting refunds, except under special circumstances as approved by the Department Director or his/her designee.

D. Refund Policy for Alpharetta Sharks Swim Team: Any participant may receive 50% refund of their registration fee if the refund is requested by the deadline specified in the current edition of the Spring/Summer Leisure Guide. No refund will be issued after this time.

E. Refund Policy for Summer Day Camps (Wills Park, Camp Happy Hearts, and Art Camp only): Any participant may receive a 50% refund of their registration fee if the refund is requested at least TWO WEEKS (10 business days) prior to the first day of a scheduled summer day camp session.

F. Refund Policy for Summer Pool Passes: Any pool pass patron may receive a refund of their pool pass fee minus a $5 service charge if the refund is requested ON or BEFORE the first Friday in June of any given year. No refunds will be issued after this date.

G. Refund Policy for Non-Resident Fees: City of Alpharetta and Milton residents who are charged a non-resident fee as a result of online registration or other reason may receive a refund of the non-resident fee upon request by emailing recreation@alpharetta.ga.us

No other non-resident fee refunds will be issued.
ARPD reserves the right to change the registration and refund policies and procedures without notice.