Council approves rental changes for Lincoln Community Complex; Pony Express kitchen use restricted

The Torrington City Council on Feb. 4 approved amendments to rental agreements for the Lincoln Community Complex’s Pony Express and Conestoga rooms that restrict use of the Pony Express kitchen and raise certain fees and deposits.

Missus Stracker and Mike Lira described the changes. Staff said the Pony Express room’s kitchen will no longer be available to rental users because its occasional use interfered with the day-care tenant in that space. Lira told the council the kitchen “causes great problems for the childcare when we have someone reserve the kitchen” and that removing it from rental options would reduce disruptions.

On fees, staff said rental rates and deposits were adjusted to better reflect overtime, setup and teardown, utilities and inflation. For the Pony Express room, staff said the rental fee was doubled from its prior level so the city at least covers costs; the security deposit was increased slightly. For the Conestoga room, staff described a new standard fee of $100 (a $25 increase) and an additional $10 charge for use of the room’s TV/PA/AV system.

Councilman Dennis Kelly moved to approve the Pony Express rental agreement amendments; the motion was seconded and approved. Council later moved and approved the Conestoga room amendments. Council members discussed the frequency of actual kitchen use (staff and council members said the kitchen is rarely used), available mop sinks and utility access for cleanup, and the need to preserve uninterrupted day-care operations as justification for the change.

Council and staff compared the revised rates to other local venues and said the amended pricing remains competitive. No changes to the community room that the public may use for meetings during business hours were proposed.

The amendments were adopted by majority vote at the meeting.