Simsbury Selectmen Authorize Modified Lease for Simsbury Farms Restaurant

The Town of Simsbury Board of Selectmen authorized Town Manager Mark Nelson Feb. 23 to execute a modified lease for the Simsbury Farms Golf Course restaurant following detailed board review and several clarifying changes.

Town Manager Mark Nelson said staff completed the requested financial due diligence and that the administration is satisfied with the review. David Bush, chair of the Cultural Parks & Recreation Commission, urged prompt contract approval so a new vendor can prepare for the season; he said delays impaired the vendor’s ability to open and serve golf‑league events.

Board members probed specific lease terms at length. Key clarifications and points recorded in the discussion included:

• Term and rent: The proposed structure showed no base cash rent in year one (year 1 at $0) in exchange for a lessee commitment to make $20,000 in capital improvements; years 2–5 were shown at $26,400 per year in the draft discussed. Board members questioned whether a first‑year discount and an $8,000 utilities placeholder fairly accounted for rising energy costs.

• Utilities and budget accounting: Staff said restaurant rent historically is recorded to the golf budget and utilities for the building have been paid from golf‑operation funds; an $8,000 figure was used as an internal allocation for utilities in the draft.

• Snow removal and access: Members asked whether the town would be obligated to plow the parking lot for lessee events in deep winter; staff said the town would maintain emergency access and typically clear the lot but that the town’s streets would take higher priority on storms. The board discussed whether to exclude deep winter months or require lessee payment for clearing if open.

• Insurance and indemnity: The town’s insurer reviewed the lease and recommended standard language requiring the lessee to provide a certificate of insurance naming the town as an additional insured on a primary, noncontributory basis; staff agreed to ensure that documentation is attached to the executed lease.

• Equipment repair thresholds: Board members flagged an apparent inconsistency between a $1,200 per‑item repair cap and a separate $5,000 replacement threshold; staff said existing town practice is to absorb extraordinary replacement costs and to list equipment replacement plans in attachments.

• Pest control and maintenance: The board revised “as needed” pest control language toward a scheduled cadence (monthly or as recommended by the public health district) to ensure routine maintenance.

• Capital improvements record: Members asked that the town and lessee agree on a documented schedule of planned improvements so the town can track investments that become town property under the lease.

After those clarifications and removal of an unexplained asterisk in the draft, the chair moved to authorize the town manager to execute the modified lease; the board voice‑voted in favor and the chair announced the motion passed. Members asked staff to obtain the insurance certificate, finalize exhibit attachments listing equipment and improvements, and clarify any remaining thresholds for repairs and replacements.

Votes at a glance: the board approved (voice) the consent agenda items moved earlier in the meeting; appointed Jim Trafficante as emergency management director (voice vote); and authorized the Simsbury Farms lease as detailed above.

The town manager will finalize the lease documents and oversee execution and the tracking of lessee improvements.