Council approves Vendome Events Center rate increase

Published by admin on Wed, 09/13/2023 - 8:37am

The Vendome Events Center is a critical part of the community for groups to gather and hold special events. The Weiser City Council recently adjusted rates to rent the facility. Photo by Philip A. Janquart.

Vendome new rate schedule

Vendome old rate schedule
By: 
Philip A. Janquart
The Weiser City Council on Monday approved a proposed rental rate increase for the city-owned Vendome Events Center.
  Located at 309 State St. in downtown Weiser, the Vendome is one of few area facilities where groups can gather for celebrations, workshops, holiday fairs, training sessions, public hearings, and other special events.
 Some popular annual events include Weiser Memorial Hospital Foundation’s Festival of Trees and Arrow-Heart Adventure Camp’s Murder Mystery Dinner and Auction, among others.
 The approximately 10,000-square foot facility serves a crucial role in the community, but the price to rent it has not quite kept up with its overall value and worth. In addition, rising costs make it hard to maintain current rental rates.
 Rates, according to city councilmembers on Monday, will increase by approximately 30 percent.
 “The cost of things have gone up but, and I have to double check on this, but I don’t think the rates have been increased since the Vendome opened in 2000,” Mayor Randy Hibberd told the Signal American. “And, we were getting feedback that it was priced so low that people from the outside were looking at it and saying that it must not be very good if it’s priced liked that.
“We have a first-class facility here and we need to keep it priced so that it can be used by our local people, but at the same time, price it so that it gets the respect that it deserves.”
 Along with the rate increase is a simplification of the rate schedule itself. Previously, those wishing to rent the space at the Vendome had to navigate a more complex schedule that broke costs into hourly rates based on four different room rental combinations.
 Groups could schedule rooms in two-hour increments up to 12 hours, with corresponding costs ranging from $25 for two hours to $350 for 12 hours during weekdays. 
 The new rate schedule allows rental of Room 2 – 2,220 sq. ft. for up to 100 people, seated dinner-style around a table; Room 1 – 4,320 sq. ft. for 200 people; or the entire building – 9,880 sq. ft. for 272 people, seated dinner-style around tables, or 325 without tables. 
 You can now rent the Vendome for a half day (6 hours) or a full day (7 a.m. to 12 a.m., or 17 hours), the cost based on rates that range from $125 to $500 during weekdays and $175 to $600 on weekends.
 Hourly use is $100 for weekday and weekend use, with a two-hour minimum.
 The full-day option give organizers significantly more time to accomplish their objectives for their given event, as well as clean up afterward.
 There have always been associated hold and security deposits and additional fees for such things as use after midnight, full use of kitchen, chair cleaning, and monitor use. Room rental amenities include table and chair setup and take down, use of coffee pots, ice machine, refrigerator, freezer, and microwave.
 Visit www.signalamerican.com to compare the old and new rate schedules.
 Councilwoman Layna Hafer said the city conducted adequate research before proposing the new rates and schedule.
 “We also went out and looked at other event centers to see what they do, and they do not complicate it with two, three, five, six hours,” she said. “They basically just say, ‘you can rent it for a half day or full day,’ and our thought was that it is still very affordable, very competitive, compared to what everybody else is charging.”
 She added that the city can adjust the new rates and schedule in the future if needed.
 “Let’s put this in place for a year; we can always come back and re-evaluate it and see if it appears that … we are renting it so much that we don’t have space,” she said. “Then you can go and look at it and adjust the rates and maybe split up the hours a little bit more, so that we are maximizing the rental time.”
 Councilman Sterling Blackwell commented, “This simplification is great, so thank you for the work on that.” 
 Hafer, City Clerk Natasha McDaniel, and Jhonna Eldridge with the Weiser Recreation Department are credited with working on the project.
 

 

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Signal American

18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
PH: (208) 549-1717
FAX: (208) 549-1718
 

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