BOMA to vote on community center fees, plus more
With Farragut’s new Community Center being readied for a January ribbon cutting, rental fees and the possibility of alcohol sales at the new facility are top of mind for Town staffers.
Town Parks & Recreation director Sue Stuhl led a workshop Thursday, Oct. 10, with the Farragut Board of Mayor and Aldermen, in which she outlined proposed rental rates at the Community Center — formerly the Faith Lutheran Church — which will offer use of its gym, assembly hall and catering kitchen and three separate classrooms.
Additionally, the new opportunities gave Trevor Hobbs, assistant to Town administrator David Smoak, an idea to flesh out and amend the town’s alcohol ordinance, which also was presented to BOMA during the same workshop.
As discussed, the new amendment would allow the sales and service of beer and alcohol at the Community Center, the Campbell Station Inn and Town Hall.
Alcohol sales and service are prohibited on Town grounds.
Stuhl said she and her staff had worked for more than a year on trying to best determine the fees, having researched with a wide variety of communities on similar fee structures.
Rates for the Farragut Community Center — which will be shared with Knox County, as it establishes it’s new West Knoxville Senior Center downstairs — are being proposed as follows:
Classrooms: (small, medium and large) will be $15, $20 and $25 in 1.5 hour (block) increments) during regular business hours (from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Mondaythrough Thursday; from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays; and from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, closed on Sundays); and $40, $45 and $50 outside those hours.
Gym: $30 per hour, $55 after regular hours; half-day Camp Fees will be $150 per hour, regular hours, or $275 per after hours; all day camp fees, $325, regular hours, or $600, after hours.
Assembly Hall, which includes pre-function area and catering kitchen, is eight-hour blocks: $400 for non-profit (regular hours); $650 non-profit (after hours); $650 business, for-profit, social (regular hours) and $850 business, for-profit, social (after hours).
“This is it, just bare bones,” Stuhl said. “We plan to evaluate everything during the first six months to see if there will be any changes we may need to make — which we expect there will be some.”
Hobbs segued into his part of the workshop, sharing a newly proposed ordinance, which defined a newly-created Temporary Alcohol Permit, authorizing renters to sell or serve beer and alcoholic beverages during their events held on Town-owned property; then exempting the Temporary Alcohol Permit from having to be approved by the Beer Board.
Alderman Scott Meyer asked that as the ordinance is being examined, the Town could consider selling alcohol in the parks during special events. Both issues will come before BOMA for consideration tonight, Thursday, Oct. 24, during its regular twice-monthly meeting.
