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Cook County community center reports 1,300 bookings in 2025; commissioners press for cost and usage breakdowns
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Summary
The community center reported 1,300 bookings in 2025, with 60% of events free to the public and the Curling Club lease accounting for the largest share of income (presented as roughly 62–68%). Commissioners asked for seasonal and cost-per-user breakdowns and requested missing attendance data for Colville and Hovland town-hall events.
Sarah Waddle, who also serves as the community center director, presented the facility-usage report to the committee, detailing rental income, booking counts and user-survey results for 2025. Waddle told the committee the Curling Club lease represents the single largest source of rental income (presentation figures described it as about 62–68% of total income) and that last year the center recorded approximately 1,300 bookings across its facilities.
Waddle said the facility supports many public events: 60% of bookings were free and open to the public while about 36% were fee-based. By hours booked, the community room had slightly more use than the popular Log Cabin, though the Log Cabin was the most-booked space by number of events. Waddle explained that the booking chart counts events equally (an eight-hour event and a one-hour event both count as one booking) and said the center had roughly 1,300 total reservations in 2025.
On the kitchen incubator program — a rentable commercial kitchen for new food businesses — Waddle said revenue has decreased in recent years and flagged practical barriers: limited storage, equipment that needs replacement and the difficulty of offering long-term space to businesses that will never scale to a brick-and-mortar storefront. The incubator was redesigned so users can participate for up to two years to encourage turnover, but Waddle said that leaves cottage-scale businesses with limited options after they complete the program.
A 2025 user survey of those who booked space (130 surveys sent) received a 25% response rate (about 32 respondents). Waddle reported that 100% of respondents were either “extremely” or “very likely” to recommend the facility to others and that respondents rated the facility’s value and welcome highly. Common improvement suggestions included an online calendar, clearer instructions for AV equipment and clearer cleanup guidance. “A 100% of people who responded were extremely or very likely to recommend the facility to others,” Waddle said.
Commissioners pressed for more detailed breakdowns. They asked for a seasonal analysis and a cost-per-user or cost-per-hour figure to compare program value with operating expenses (utilities, janitorial, depreciation and staffing). Commissioners also asked staff to calculate how much of the free/open bookings are used by YMCA programs under the county’s recreation agreement and to obtain attendance numbers for the Colville art festival, which did not appear in the town-hall usage report.
The committee discussed maintenance priorities for outlying town halls. For Hovland and Colville, commissioners noted recent investments (a new Colville roof and electrical work in Hovland) but also raised issues including heat/blower noise, access ramps and floor sealing or resurfacing. Staff and commissioners discussed coordinating local contractors and schedules when routine maintenance is performed.
What’s next: committee members encouraged extending the facility-survey approach to other county rental properties, requested additional cost and seasonal usage analyses, and asked staff to obtain missing event attendance figures for Colville and Hovland.
