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Local business owner asks Hamilton to lower Nottingham Ballroom fees for township-sponsored events
Summary
A local business owner asked council to include the Nottingham Ballroom in the township-sponsored community-events ordinance or offer a lower fee; she said current listed venues charge $200 but Nottingham’s listed fee is $1,400–$1,600, which she cannot afford for community programming.
Juliana Corella introduced herself during the public-comment period and asked the council to consider adding the Nottingham Ballroom to the township-sponsored community-events provision or to lower the fee for that venue for qualifying small businesses.
Corella said the township ordinance’s Box C lists a $200 fee at certain locations for township-sponsored events but that Nottingham Ballroom’s published rental rates run about $1,400 on weekdays and $1,600 on weekends—rates she said are prohibitive for small-business-hosted, low-cost community events. “I cannot afford $1,400 to rent the space,” Corella said. She said she currently runs sound-bath meditations from her family’s business and could bring community attention to township properties if fees were more accessible.
Council members said the town has different fee schedules for larger and smaller venues and that any change would require revising the ordinance and fees. They suggested alternatives, including YMCA spaces and other township facilities, and encouraged Corella to work with staff to explore lower-cost options. Staff said the Nottingham Ballroom may already be addressed in a prior ordinance update but that fees could be revisited.
Quote: “I cannot afford $1,400 to rent the space,” said Juliana Corella, who said she would pay a few hundred dollars for a community event but not the full listed rate.
Ending: Council agreed to consider Corella’s request and to review whether the ballroom can be added to the township-sponsored-events provision or otherwise made available at a reduced rate; staff will follow up on fee schedules and venue alternatives.
