WAILUKU – The county Department of Parks and Recreation will be moving to the tri-annual permit process for all leagues and recreational programs.

This new process will affect application requests for the majority of facility usage countywide, including athletic fields, multipurpose fields, ballfields, courts, pools and gymnasiums.

This means that coaches, league organizers, athletic directors and other sports officials must submit their application requests months before each season begins.

According to the county, the new system will be more efficient than the year-round system, which would sometimes result in overbooking of facilities.

Under the new process:

To reserve county facilities and fields for the winter/spring season (Jan. 1 to April 15), application requests must be submitted to the department by Oct. 13, 2017.

For the summer season (April 16 to July 31), application requests must be submitted during the first two weeks of January, which next year falls between Jan. 1 to 15, 2018.

For the fall season (Aug. 1 to Dec. 31), application requests must be submitted during the first two weeks of May, which next year falls between May 1 and May 14, 2018.

“Once everyone gets used to the new schedule, they’ll find that it will be more accommodating and less cumbersome than the old permitting system,” said Parks Director Kaala Buenonsejo.

“The main thing right now is that those looking to reserve fields and facilities for the winter/spring season need to get their application in… between Oct. 2 to the 13th.”

Application request packets are available at all department permit offices and also on the County of Maui website at www.mauicounty.gov.

Application requests will be reviewed in the priority order outlined in the department’s administrative rules (also available at mauicounty.gov).

If you are unsure how this will affect your use of facilities, contact the Department of Parks and Recreation Permit Office at 270-7389 or e-mail at DPRPermits@mauicounty.gov.