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Council raises rental fee, requires fire-department presence for some events; denies full firehall use for post prom
Summary
Council discussed doubling the Firehawk truck-bay rental fee to $100/hour (two-hour minimum) and requiring fire-department oversight for alcohol-serving events; because of safety and supervision concerns, council declined a post-prom committee's request to use the full facility for a 250-person event.
Council reviewed Firehawk Community Room rental policy and the post-prom committee's request for large-scale use of the firehall. Council members and fire-department representatives said the truck bay requires extra electricity and vehicle movement to open bays, and volunteer firefighters typically staff alcohol sales at fundraisers; staff and council proposed increasing the hourly fee from $50 to $100 with a two-hour minimum or, alternatively, increasing the deposit to cover potential damage.
Council discussed making firefighter presence a written condition for events that involve alcohol and suggested leaving final approval to council following a fire-department recommendation. On the post-prom request for approximately 250 attendees, staff and the fire department cited safety and supervision problems (unlockable equipment rooms, limited ability to cordon off areas, overnight staffing) and recommended against hosting the event in the firehall. The council concluded it would deny the post-prom committee's request and encouraged the committee to pursue school facilities or other venues.
Why this matters: The decision balances fundraising/community uses of a municipally owned facility against volunteer staffing limits and facility-safety constraints. The policy change (fee increase and clearer requirement for firefighter presence) aims to capture costs and set expectations for future renters.
Next steps: Staff will redline rental-policy language for the consent agenda and document the new fee/deposit structure and the firefighter-presence requirement.
