SALEM — The Salem Parks Department is considering the implementation of a new rental contract for large events at the parks.

Parks Director Kelli Pastore said that while the department has contracts for the rental of individual pavilions or the Centennial Park Pool, it currently does not have a dedicated rental contract for events which utilize larger sections of the park and multiple pavilions like the recent Fall Festival and that she feels one needs to be developed.

“If we’re doing it for the smaller [facilities] we should do it for the larger ones as well,” said Pastore.

Pastore argued that large events in the park often require last-minute changes which creates overtime costs for the department, and that with a contract which would specify what services are needed for the event and will be provided by the department in advance those costs could be eliminated. She further argued that the contract should also include a fee which would help the departments recoup some of the cost of the utility services from the event.

“If we charge people for renting a pavilion to help cover the costs of electricity that’s used there, why aren’t we charging these bigger events that use a ton of electricity compared to somebody plugging in a crockpot for two hours,” said Pastore.

Commissioner Don Yeasted said that he felt the inclusion of a utility fee was reasonable, while Commissioner Lori Colian noted that the Columbiana County Fairgrounds have a similar utility fee. Pastore asked if the fairground’s fee was a set amount or based on utility usage and Colian said that while she did not know she would find out.

“Utility fees have risen so much in recent years that I think it’s fair to ask organizations to pay some of that,” said Yeasted.

Yeasted discussed including a 90-day notice period for large events in potential contract, which Pastore noted would reduce interference with pavilion rentals as pavilions are not rented on the day of the large events.

“We don’t let people rent pavilions [the day of the event] so if we don’t have that all ironed out before we’re potentially losing out on revenue because we’re holding a day for them. They should have their contract signed and in within 90-days,” said Pastore.

Colian said that she was not opposed to the notice period for large events, but that she was wary of turning away events for insufficient notice, and about “what constitutes a big event.” The commissioners agreed that language could be included specifying that the notice period could be waived for events which did not require significant oversight at the department’s discretion.

Commission President John Panezott also noted that the department has not charged for many of its services for years, but that with rising costs it would have to re-evaluate some of its fee structures as to avoid passing those costs onto taxpayers.

“Something that people should remember is that we have gone, I don’t know how long without any [price] increases. We want to try and compensate a little bit, so we don’t have to go to the taxpayers,” said Panezott.

Commissioners also discussed the approximately 0.35-acre property at 364 Sharp Avenue which the department is set to take ownership of from the Columbiana County Parks District, after Columbiana County Probate Court Judge Thomas Baronzzi approved the transfer on Sept. 19. Panezott emphasized that the property was gifted to the department at no cost to the parks department or taxpayers, and Pastore reiterated that any renovations made to the property, which the department is hoping to build a playground on for residents on the city’s West side, would be made exclusively through grant funding. Panezott also addressed questions about why the department didn’t install a playground at Kelley Park on Prospect Street, reiterating his explanation from the commission’s previous meeting that the downward slope at Kelley was not safe to install a playground on, and that the only sufficiently flat space was actually owned by the Salem City School District.

“I think it’s a great property for the city to put in a micro playground,” said Yeasted.

The parks commission will meet next at 5 p.m. Oct. 22.