Brimfield trustees agree nonprofits can keep community-center reservations while staff develop a reopening plan

Brimfield trustees spent the bulk of their meeting on Tuesday weighing how and when to restart community-center rentals after the parks director position was vacated. Chair opened the discussion by noting multiple resident inquiries about when rentals would resume and asking staff for a path forward.

Joe (staff) provided a rundown of tasks required to manage rentals — scheduling showings, verifying contracts and payments, assigning access codes, coordinating cleaning and pest control, and processing deposits and refunds — and said existing paid reservations are being handled. Trustees and staff repeatedly cited current staffing shortages as the main obstacle to reopening paid rentals.

Several trustees urged a pragmatic approach for community groups. The board agreed that nonprofit groups already set up in the reservation system — including two Girl Scout troops and recurring homeowners association meetings — may continue using the community center. "Those reservations are still in the system," staff said, and trustees said they did not see issues with letting those nonprofit uses continue while they develop a plan for paid rentals.

Trustees discussed possible interim arrangements to reduce staff burden, such as having two staff members (Joe and Roy) perform a single pre-rental check for cleanliness and supplies rather than multiple checks, and maintaining a simple code-based access system for repeat nonprofit users.

Board members also raised the building's broader future. One trustee noted the township purchased 27 acres with the property and suggested selling a small parcel as an option, but zoning and condition concerns made sale a complex option. Trustees asked staff to prepare a written proposal within one to two meetings that lays out options, staffing needs and projected costs for reopening to paid rentals, continuing nonprofit use only, or selling/repurposing part of the property.

For now, trustees directed that nonprofit reservations already recorded in the system continue and tasked staff with returning with a clear plan and cost estimates at the next business meeting.