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Bannock County debates pickleball access, fees and security for new exhibit hall
Summary
County staff presented updated fairgrounds rental contracts and a draft pickleball addendum; commissioners debated access control (phone codes vs fobs), hours, insurance and whether to pilot scheduled hours rather than offering monthly passes. Staff will inventory equipment and return with clarified fee and security recommendations.
County staff presented updated fairgrounds and exhibit-hall rental contracts and a draft pickleball addendum, prompting an extended discussion about access, security, fees and staffing.
Scott Carler (event director) and fair-board representatives distributed the contract drafts while staff noted the current fee schedule covers regular facility rentals but that specific pickleball fees had not been set. Carler said he had updated copies of the contracts and a proposed pickleball contract; staff advised routing the pickleball language through legal and the fair board's public-notice process before final approval.
Commissioners and staff debated access control options — physical fobs, keypad codes or phone-based access — and the tradeoffs between a low-cost keypad and a more expensive phone-based system. One commissioner voiced a preference on the record for phone access as a longer-term solution. Staff warned that any access-control system can be defeated if doors are propped open and recommended combining access controls with camera monitoring and limited posted hours.
On billing and pass structures, commissioners compared local market rates: examples in the discussion included $45/month for 24-hour access and $60/month options. Staff proposed a $25 monthly pass with controlled access but several commissioners urged starting smaller: schedule supervised open-play hours (for example, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. on weekdays) as a pilot rather than issuing unrestricted monthly passes. Concerns included monitoring, staffing and liability, and commissioners asked that kitchen access be restricted to contract-only rentals.
Staff also recommended practical implementation steps before broad availability: conduct a full inventory of tables and chairs, create a walk-through checklist for renters (cleaning and post-use expectations), clarify permitted payment methods (credit card preferred; staff noted refund complexity), and review insurance and indemnity language with the county's insurer and legal counsel. Commissioners suggested using remaining ARPA or building-maintenance funds to address door security and access-system purchases if needed.
No final decision was made on pickleball-specific fees. Staff said the building can be rented under the existing fee schedule while pickleball specifics are finalized and that availability might be formally opened after administrative items — inventory, checklist, security work and published fees — are completed, with January 1 mentioned as a practical target for broader availability.
"We just need to see kind of what the demand is," one commissioner said, advocating a conservative, stepwise rollout. The board asked staff to bring back contract revisions, inventory results and a security/pricing recommendation after legal review.
