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Council debates Oak Avenue Community Center fees as nonprofits warn of hardship; motion to delay fees fails
Summary
Nonprofit users of the Oak Avenue Community Center told the Marshfield Common Council on April 14 that proposed storage and rental fees would force them to raise costs or abandon use of the facility. A motion to keep use free for 2026 and cut fees in half in 2027 failed after council debate.
Several Marshfield nonprofit groups urged the Common Council to spare them new rental and storage charges for space in the Oak Avenue Community Center, saying the costs would be passed on to families or make continued use untenable.
"The storage space... could possibly cost us yearly rental fees for as much as $4,900 a month over the phased period," said Brian Pischel, speaking for Marshfield Youth Football, which he described as a 100% volunteer nonprofit that serves roughly 200 participants per year. He said the program subsidizes participation and cannot absorb steep new facility costs.
Don Jisco of the Gus Gym said the organization has historically not been charged for facility use and relies on modest funds and volunteers to operate. "Nobody has ever been charged for using our facility," he said, describing roughly $15,000 in account funds and heavy volunteer labor.
The Marshfield Civic Band’s director, Robert Johannik, and band member Donna Hastreiter told the council their group stores a decades‑old music library in two Oak Avenue rooms and operates on donations. Hastreiter noted the city’s recent $20,000 commitment to a concert series and asked, "If you can afford $20,000 for eight concerts, it would be really nice if you could allow us to use the Oak Avenue Center without having to pay rent." The band said its members receive only small stipends and that new rent would strain operations.
Council Member Natasha Tompkins introduced the Parks & Recreation Committee’s market‑rate comparison and recommended a 34¢ per square‑foot baseline for storage after surveying local facilities; she also provided utility and capital‑repair context: Oak Avenue’s average utilities run about $1,472 per month, the boiler will need replacement in roughly seven years at an estimated $150,000, and a chimney repair is on the CIP for about $20,000.
Tompkins moved that community groups be allowed free use in 2026, shift to a 50% rate in 2027, and that the Zoological Society be exempted; the motion drew a second. Several aldermen objected to imposing fees on long‑standing community organizations that provide services the city cannot. Alderman O’Reilly called charging such groups "ludicrous" in the current budget context; Alderman Curran and others argued the groups provide significant civic value and should be recognized, not billed.
When the motion was put to a vote, the record shows the motion did not pass.
What's next: Council did not adopt new Oak Avenue fee policy at the April 14 meeting. Council members said they want to continue exploring options to balance Parks & Rec operating costs and community partnerships; no new fee schedule was adopted and staff will return with more information as requested.
