FARMVILLE — The Town of Farmville is going to rec. and roll with the Fireman’s Sports Arena.

When not needed for its recreation department, however, the Town will rent the recently gifted facility.

The fees to rent the 20-acre property, deeded to the Town this spring by the Fireman’s Sports Arena, Inc., will apply beginning in January.

In a second property use decision this summer, Town Council decided to delay implementation of the October 2011-approved $100 rental fee for the Farmers Market until October.

Sports Arena

The rental fees for the sports arena were recommended by Town Council’s property committee but most of the discussion was about ensuring liability coverage will be in place by each renter.

The Town plans to use the sports arena property as the keystone site for its recreation program but will make the site available when dates do not conflict with the department’s use.

Renters must also provide security, “depending on the type of event, how many people they’re going to have at the event,” Town Manager Gerald Spates told council members last month.

Those renting the property will go through the Town’s Virginia Municipal League insurance policy, paying for the per-event rider.

“They use our VML insurance, which we can get a rider that they can pay anywhere between a hundred and two hundred dollars to get,” Spates said.

Council member David E. Whitus wanted to make certain of the Town’s liability protection through the VML rider.

“The liability insurance, in my mind,” Whitus said, “is a bigger item than the rent, itself, if somebody gets hurt.”

Spates explained the merits of the VML rider, saying it provides certainty that the insurance coverage is active, removing the unknowns that would otherwise be involved in taking a renter’s word for it that insurance existed through that renter’s own insurance.

“One of the concerns, I think…if we require people to bring an insurance rider on their homeowners insurance, or whatever, you don’t know when that person rents it whether that insurance is active,” the town manager said. “If we do it through VML, then we know that that policy’s active because they have to buy it for that specific event.”

Agreeing with Whitus’ assessment regarding the prime importance of the liability coverage, Spates said, “especially with the Sports Arena because usually it’s a different venue, more public events that people pay admission to go to versus wedding receptions that are held at the train station or the banquet hall (at the golf course). But VML is recommending that we do the insurance through them.”

That way, said an assured Whitus, “we have more of a guarantee of knowing we’re covered, and they’ll (the renters) pay for the premium.”

Before moving on to the Farmers Market, Town council also agreed that any group that cleans the building after renting it, thoroughly enough that Town workers don’t have to do “any major cleaning,” will receive a discount.

“We knock a hundred dollars off our rental charge,” Spates said.

Farmers Market

There was some confusion when discussion focused on the question of rental fees for the Farmers Market.

Not all council members remembered the October 2011 vote that set the fee at $100 per use.

But apparently that fee has not yet been implemented.

“On motion by Mrs. (Sally) Thompson, seconded by Mr. (Donald) Hunter,” Spates said, reading from Town Council’s minutes, “and it was a recorded vote with everybody voting Aye, the following guidelines were established: only civic groups and organizations may rent it. Rental fee of $100 per use, no event scheduled on Sunday after 1 p.m., the parking lot will be metered, the same set-up as the municipal lot. The Farmers Market group will not be charged a fee for using it and the Farmers Market group will be responsible for set-up and take-down (when they use it).”

The focal point of the discussion was the Town’s decision to allow the Kiwanis Club to continue using the facility free of charge.

“The question was we allowed the Kiwanis Club to use it two times and we were going to re-look at it to see if we were going to allow them to use it again and not charge them,” said Spates, who noted “they’re using it as a fundraiser to put money back into the community. As far as I know it hasn’t created any problem to have them down there so I would like to see them be allowed to continue to do it.”

Jamie Davis, who was not a member of Town Council when the October 2011 vote occurred, suggested council delay charging the $100 fee in the fall, which would give the Kiwanis Club “at least until then to prepare for it, to know that starting in September, for all civic groups that will be using it, there will be a hundred dollar charge to it.”

Spates said he did not believe the Kiwanis Club would continue using the facility into the winter months.

“Do we want to start at the beginning of the year (with the fee being charged)?” asked Hunter.

“It’s up to ya’ll,” Spates said.

“Let’s put it to October 1,” Davis offered, “which would give Kiwanis free use through the time they expected to use it. I make a motion that the rental fees in relation to the Farmers Market, as suggested by the property committee, be established to being October the first.”

The motion passed without dissent.

Town officials then wondered if they should formally rescind the October 2011 vote setting the fees, which were never charged but Spates described it as “a moot point. Just leave it like it is. We’ll work it out. We know you want to start it effective October 1.”