Covered picnic structures throughout the 4,235-acre Mission Bay Park will be available for the public to reserve up to four months in advance beginning Oct. 1. However, the new feature will also cost San Diegans $20 per hour to rent and may come with a cleaning or security deposit. “Mission Bay has been the only area that has always operated on a first come-first serve basis,” said Stacy McKenzie, district manager for Mission Bay Park. Other city parks currently operate reservations using the same $20 per hour fee. “It has been met with support from the community,” McKenzie said. She said on weekends and holidays that it is not uncommon for people to camp out at 3 a.m. in order to stake claim on a gazebo for the day. The gazebos will not be available for sharing by more than one group. Reserving a gazebo, regardless of size, guarantees the user the entire cement footprint underneath the shaded structure for the duration of their reservation. “We don’t want families fighting,” McKenzie said. To rent a structure, the public will need to fill out a Facility and Park Use Permit application available at www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/, then search under “hold an event in the park.” The application must be submitted in person at the Balboa Park Administration Building, 2125 Park Blvd. The shelters available for rental are located at East Bonita, East Vacation, Hospitality Point, Marie Starns South Shores, North Crown Point, North De Anza, North Ski Beach, North Tecolote, Playa Pacifica II and South Tecolote. The Mission Bay Park board had requested that the San Diego City Council look into administering a fee and reservation for the structures as the result of requests from the public, McKenzie said. The council passed the item as part of the year’s fiscal budget, which began in July.