Rental fees at The Commons could go up starting in 2020 for the first time in the venue’s seven-year history.
The Commons Board on Thursday voted to recommend increasing the cost of facility rentals for nonprofit and profit entities seeking to use the second-floor performance space and the Miller-Tangeman Upper Lobby.
Under the proposal, rental fees would increase starting Jan. 1, 2020, for groups renting space during daytime hours, from 6 to 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the prime time hours of 4 to 10 p.m. for events at The Commons, 300 Washington St., in the heart of downtown.
The Commons will begin accepting reservations for the 2020 calendar year in December.
The proposed fee increases, which range from 12 percent to 15.4 percent for half- or all-day bookings, will require final approval by the city’s parks and recreation board, which will take up the matter during its Oct. 4 meeting.
In dollar amounts, the proposed rental rates for daytime events at The Commons are increasing by $50 to $150. All-day bookings would increase $350 in the recommended structure.
The recommended increases are based on inflation, said Pam Harrell, director of business services for the city’s parks and recreation department.
Harrell said another factor in setting the recommended rates was event-booking prices in Greenwood, Franklin and Shelbyville.
“If you look at any venue, their rates are increasing due to demand,” Harrell said. “We don’t want to be the most expensive, but we don’t want to be the cheapest.”
Rate increases could generate up to $50,000 in additional revenue depending on the number of bookings, she said.
The closing last summer of the Clarion Hotel and Conference Center in Columbus has increased usage of event facilities at The Commons, Harrell said.
“For Saturdays, we only have a handful left for 2019,” Harrell said.
As part of the Commons rental-rate discussion, Commons Board president Tracy Souza requested that the rates be evaluated on a more regular basis.
Meanwhile, The Commons’ budget for 2019 could increase due to capital costs at the facility. Officials are requesting $1.2 million next year, an increase of $226,591 — or 23.3 percent — over 2018, tied primarily for capital expenditures.
Of $185,000 targeted for improvements at The Commons, $155,000 is being dedicated toward new lighting and curtains, in addition to $85,000 for roof repairs, Harrell said. An additional $30,000 is for a water heater and pumps in the building, she said.
The Commons did not budget any money for capital expenses in 2018, although it had budgeted $500,000 the previous year.
The facility plans to upgrade to LED lighting, while a new curtain is needed since the current one is fading, said Shanda Sasse, manager of The Commons.
Officials are also proposing an increase of $29,091 for personnel costs next year tied primarily to a compensation study that was performed by the city. The Commons’ 2019 budget is subject to final approval by Columbus City Council, which is slated to review the overall city budget in October.
The Commons, designed by Koetter Kim, opened in 2011. It replaced a downtown shopping mall carrying the same name that operated from 1973 to 2008.
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NON-PRIME TIME (6 to 10 a.m., 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
Nonprofit
Current: $500, Friday and Saturday; $400, Sunday through Thursday
Proposed: $575, Friday and Saturday; $450, Sunday through Thursday
For profit
Current: $650, Friday and Saturday; $525, Sunday through Thursday
Proposed: $750, Friday and Saturday; $600, Sunday through Thursday
PRIME TIME (4 to 10 p.m.)
Nonprofit
Current: $1,000, Friday and Saturday; $800, Sunday through Thursday
Proposed: $1,150, Friday and Saturday; $900, Sunday through Thursday
All-day use
Current: $1,600, Friday and Saturday; $1,250, Sunday through Thursday
Proposed: $1,800, Friday and Saturday; $1,400, Sunday through Thursday
For profit
Current: $1,300, Friday and Saturday; $1,050, Sunday through Thursday
Proposed: $1,500, Friday and Saturday; $1,200, Sunday through Thursday
All-day use
Current: $2,050, Saturday; $1,650, Sunday through Thursday
Proposed: $2,350, Saturday; $1,900 Sunday through Thursday
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