HANDOUT 07-08-2002Klaers, Pat
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
CKIDZ4@aol.com
Monday, July 01,2002 1:18 PM
pklaers @ ci.elk-river, mn.us
Lions Park Center
HI, I am writing you because Lions Park Center gave me your name if it
is in
the wrong area please forward my concern. Thanks. I am a Co-Chair for a
Non
- Profit group here in Elk River. We recently changed our meeting
location
to the Lions Park Center. Good location and free to Nonprofit
Organizations
sounded really good. Well, now come to find out after only 1 meeting
there
as of September we will be charged a fee. The fee part is OK, since we
have
been paying at other locations. I was just surprised at the amount for
our 3
hour once a month meeting. It would run us $70.00 a month/meeting. That
is
way higher than any other location we have been at. I am just a little
puzzled why it was stated as free to Non-Profits and as soon as we get
in
there a fee is added? Nothing was even mentioned when we applied for
the
date and time. Why? There had to have been some knowledge that a fee
was
being considered. I feel that our group and probably others too were
not
given the right information upon making our decision and applying to use
this
meeting space.
It is very frustrating. We had a meeting location and changed to Lions
and
now what? Our fee was $40.00 a meeting/monthly and we have probably
lost our
spot. Just to mention we didn't have to take down tables and put them
back
also. We are not opposed to paying to use a facility I just think that
$o.oo
to $70.00 is a big jump for a Nonprofit Organization. I understand that
if
our meetings were less than 2 hours then it would only be $45.00. Why
the
extra $25.00 for a three hour meeting?
As the CO-Chair for our organization and an Elk River Resident I feel I
needed to get more detail of this change. I believe the building is
owned by
the city and the guidelines the city council must vote on, so this
letter is
to the whole council. I think you should re think the fee schedule, I
believe we have been misinformed from the start. I also am looking to
contact
the other non Profit groups to see if they feel the same way. Which I am
sure
they do. I do know of 1 other that is not happy with the fee schedule.
~hanks, Cindy Hallman (Multiply Blessed Mothers of Multiples)
City
July 3, 2002
Cindy Hallman
CKIDZ4~aol.com
Subject: Lions Park Center
Dear Ms. Hallman:
Thank you for your comments regarding the Lions Park Center (LPC) fee and usage policy.
By way of background, the LPC was mostly a Lions Club designed and financed
construction project with some city participation and, of course, this facility is in a public
park. One of the goals for LPC was to have more meeting room space available in the
community.
The city set up a fee and usage policy for LPC that was modeled after what we saw as
successful examples for other communities. Shortly after opening the LPC, some Lions Club
members expressed concerns over the fee and usage policy. Accordingly, the fee and usage
policy was discussed and evaluated at a joint City Council and Lions Club Committee
meeting. A higher fee for longer use of the room is part of the fee structure in order to
encourage having the facility available to other groups. The concern was that without a fee
differential one group could dominate the use of the facility. Another goal of the fee and
usage policy is to recapture a significant part of the operating expense for the facility.
If the City Council finds the fees to be too high, either through letters like yours or through
reduced usage of the room, then the current policy will again have to be reevaluated. The
city is new to the business of owning and renting out meeting room space, so it is very likely
that the LPC policy will evolve as we learn more about the operating expenses and the usage
that is taking place at the facility.
I hope the above information will help explain how and why the new policy was established
shortly after the original policy was set up.
If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me.
Patrick D. Klaers
City Administrator