Park board looks to Wren Pierson reopening with new rental fees, policies
By BECKY THOMAS
Staff Reporter
The Wren Pierson Building renovation is advancing quickly, with glass installed outside and paint beginning to cover the inside walls. Cheney's community center is expected to reopen late this summer, and the Cheney Park Board looked ahead to the use of the building by approving a new facility rental policy.
The new policy, approved with a few changes by the board at its May 12 meeting, will be sent to City Council for final approval. It includes fee increases over previous rates to rent out the different spaces in the building for private functions, like weddings, receptions and meetings. The multipurpose room rate per hour went from $30 to $65, the senior room from $25 to $40 and the community meeting room—a new space—will charge $30 per hour. A refundable damage deposit for events with alcohol went from $200 to $300. Certain local non-profit groups could hold meetings in the community room for $10 per hour.
Recreation supervisor Kim Best said the proposed rate increases reflect the new facilities, new tables and chairs and the added cost of a city staff member being present during all private events.
“Since this is a new building and it's a nice building, we want to have the building under control and have a staff member there,” she said.
Board members discussed a section of the policy that said members of the tri-agency agreement would have access to any facilities at no cost. Some board members questioned the terms of the agreement and asked who would be eligible to use the facilities. Board member Kerry Pease, sports and recreation director at Eastern Washington University, said the tri-agency agreement—first drafted by EWU, the Cheney School District and the city of Cheney in the 1970s to share recreation facilities between the agencies—is currently being revised and updated.
“The term ‘recreation' sometimes needs to be something that we discuss; there are some gray areas there,” Pease said.
The board agreed to amend the policy to read, “Any Tri-Agency-approved request will be able to access any facility rooms per the terms of the Tri-Agency agreement.”
“Then you won't have people saying, ‘Well, why don't they have to pay?'” board member Natalie Tauzin said.
The board also spent some time discussing a new policy for the parks and recreation department that would require healthy options to be available when snacks are “provided and/or sold at our events, community center, and meetings.”
Jon Cabrera, a Parks and Recreation intern working on the Let's Move Cheney coalition, said the policy was attempting to reinforce healthy eating the coalition advocates.
“It just comes down to promoting healthy habits to staff and the community,” he said.
Parks and Recreation director Paul Simmons said the policy was the first of a few changes that would push the department to “walk the walk” it has supported through creation of Let's Move Cheney.
“We know it takes time to change the culture,” he said. “We're not saying you can't bring donuts ever again, but if you do just bring some bananas along with them.”
Simmons also told the board about a potential funding opportunity for a full basketball court at Betz Park. Cheney was nominated to compete in the Sprite Sparks Parks competition, in which Facebook users vote for their favorite park and the winner receives $35,000 to build a court. So far, Cheney is in the lead in the national race for votes on Facebook.
“There's been just tons of community support so that put us at number one,” Simmons said. He encouraged the board to vote once a day through June 10 and to encourage their contacts to vote as well. If Cheney wins the vote, the funds would go to build the first full basketball court in the city parks system. For more information search Cheney Parks and Recreation on Facebook.
Becky Thomas can be reached at [email protected].
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