The Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Board on Tuesday approved a series of adjustments to rental fees.
The changes will now go before city council for final approval.
“Not really looking at any facility fees, per se,” said Parks and Recreation Director Kristin Otley during the meeting, “just looking at some things that need an adjustment to make sure they’re to the current times.”
The parks and recreation department proposes fee changes twice each year, in September and March, with council then voting on them in October and April.
The first adjustment was raising the security deposit for a non-alcohol building rental from the current $100, which Otley says had been unchanged for a number of years, to $150. A document explaining the proposed changes stated that “renters who do not do any damage and follow all the rental policies receive their full deposit back after the rental. This is being recommended so that the renter has more of an incentive to ensure that both they and their guests are not damaging our facilities.”
Answering a question from the board about damage at rented parks facilities, Otley provided examples including damaged windows, and coat racks pulled off of a wall.
The second adjustment was to increase the “extra clean-up fee” from the current rate of $35 per hour, to $50 per hour.
“If a whole bunch of punch got spilled and it’s laying on the floor and bathrooms are trashed,” Otley said, it then takes the staff longer to get a room cleaned and ready for another use.
The document stated that this fee is for “clean up above and beyond the normal for a building rental. In this case, staff has to spend additional time and materials/supplies to get the building back to a usable and safe state. We need to ensure that we are covering the cost of our staff” including salary and benefits, “as well as all materials and supplies. The fee also needs to be high enough that the renter is encouraged to be responsible for the facility.”
The third and final adjustment, for the early access fee, was not a change in the fee itself. Currently, the fee is $100, with no limit on the amount of time the renter can have early access to the venue. The change would cap early access at a maximum of two hours.
The document notes that building rentals begin at 11 a.m. on weekends and 9 a.m. on weekdays, in order for staff to clean and reset the buildings from any rentals the previous night.
“Rentals from the evening before can go until midnight,” the document stated. “To allow renters early access can be tough if there was a large rental the night before, especially if that rental had excessive cleaning. We do understand that sometimes a renter just needs a little additional time, however we need to allow staff the proper time to clean and reset the building. This is why we are recommending a maximum of two hours early.”
The proposals were approved unanimously.
Also at the meeting, the board:
• Heard from Otley that sound baffles have been installed in the large main room of the Veterans Building at City Park to assist with acoustics. The project was accomplished through funding from the parks and recreation foundation.
“We’re excited about that,” she said.
• Heard that the paving project on City Park Drive is almost finished.
“I do see people walking already on the additional space there,” Otley said, “which is great. People definitely love… walking in City Park.”
• Heard that the work at the inclusive playground project at Carter Park is ongoing.
“It’s looking like a playground,” Otley said. “It’s not done yet.”
She lauded the work of a number of city departments on the project, as well as the partnership with the Wood County Plays organization.
