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11/12/09
Council approves new Fort Williams Park rental fees for 2010
Cape Elizabeth residents wishing to rent the picnic shelter at Fort Williams Park next year will pay a little more.
The Town Council on Nov. 9 approved a $10 fee increase for residents wishing to rent the picnic shelter for a day. A full-day rental in 2010 will be $100 for residents, up from the $90 charged this year. An additional $50 security deposit will be charged, the same as this year.
The increase comes from the town's efforts to make Fort Williams Park more self-sustaining, one of the Town Council's goals for this year.
The fee increase to residents was recommended along with other adjustments by the Fort Williams Advisory Commission. "Approximately 30 percent of the paid rentals this past year were Cape Elizabeth residents," said Public Works Director Robert Malley, in a memo to the Town Council.
The new schedule was adopted by unanimous vote, but one councilor, Sara Lennon, asked why the fees weren't increased more, "in light of how anxious everyone is to raise revenue," she said.
Dan Chase, chairman of the advisory commission, said commissioners consulted with Community Services staff, who schedule and collect the fees. "There seemed to be a fair amount of push back on some of these fees," Chase told members of the council.
Fees for non-residents to rent the shelter will be the same, but renters will see some changes in how and when they can rent the shelter, the park gazebo, and the bandstand.
These changes include:
- An additional hour on afternoon rentals to make them more desirable. Afternoon rentals in 2010 will be good from 3 p.m. to sunset, rather than 4 p.m. to sunset.
- A reduced post-Labor Day picnic shelter rental fee, to reflect the shorter hours of daylight. Half-day rentals after Labor Day will be $150 for non-residents, groups, businesses and non-profit organizations. Half-day rentals before Labor Day will remain $240 for non-residents, groups and businesses; and $180 for non-profits. The fee for residents to rent the picnic shelter for a half-day will be $70 regardless of time of year.
- A new, hourly rental system for the bandstand and the gazebo, because most of the rentals there are ceremonies and short term in nature. Hourly rate will be $15 for residents, and $20 for non-residents, groups and businesses. Up until now, the bandstand and gazebo fee schedule followed the same full-day, half-day model as the picnic shelter.
- An increase in the wedding and partnership ceremony fee from $50 to $75, with the fee being waived if the picnic shelter is reserved in conjunction with the ceremony.
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