Roscoe Township discusses possible usage and rental policies for Community Center

Roscoe Township trustees spent most of their meeting on Jan. 11, 2023 exploring how groups might use the new Roscoe Township Community Center, which should be complete in February. Trustee Elizabeth Lindquist had been asked to come up with suggestions for a rental and usage policy. She looked at examples such as Plainfield Park District and the Rockton Community Centre. But she said, "None of them is exactly like ours."

Owners of nearby event venues have warned the trustees that the brand-new facility could be an attractive location for weddings from as far as Chicago, especially if the Township rented it out too cheaply. Trustees aren't trying to make a profit; in fact, any net income above expenses must go back into the Community Center program. And they want to encourage a wide range of community activities for groups such as senior citizens. So to keep the schedule free for other events, they plan to charge a reasonable fee for weddings.

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Lindquist said, "If we put the fee for weddings too low, we're going to have only weddings."

"We didn't build it for that reason," agreed Supervisor Bob Nowicki.

Meanwhile, Mary Ryan, the Township's long-time administrative assistant who also manages the Township's three cemeteries, has been transitioning from her previous role, preparing to add responsibility for booking and programming at the Community Center. And she does all of this part-time. She is looking for people to teach classes and lead activities at the Community Center.

Along with Ryan, trustees Elizabeth Lindquist and Chuck Gilbert will prepare a draft rental and usage policy to be presented at a special public meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023.

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