Civic Center Commissioners support rate increase proposal
Members of the Forrest City Civic Center Commission recently accepted proposed rate changes for renting the facility.
Commissioners also heard from Bridget Clark Mays regarding the use of the Civic Center’s kitchen for her feeding program through Chance for a Change.
Forrest City Mayor Larry Bryant told commissioners the facility’s income for 2023 was a fraction of its overall expenses.
"The Forrest City Civic Center has been in this mode for years and years and I don't know why the people that sit on the Civic Center Commission Board feel that we are supposedly giving this place away," said Bryant. "Since I have been mayor, since 1999, the price is pretty much the same as it was in ’99. In some cases, it is a lot more. When we see that the Civic Center expenses last year were over $200,000 and the income was only $71,000, you can't run anything like that."
According to Bryant, the Civic Center currently has rates that are so low that it is "bleeding red ink."
"We had rooms like this one being rented for six hours for as low as $60 every day of the week," said Bryant. "You can't rent the Campbell House, Max Mo's, you can't rent my place, you can't rent anything for $60 with all of the amenities that you have here. At one time, it was $100 to $125 and how it got down to $60 I have no idea. How rooms went from four hours to six hours to at one time three hours for certain events. We are bleeding red ink. It is one thing to lose a little money, but it is another thing to constantly lose a lot of money."
Bryant said that for the Civic Center to move forward, its rental rates must be comparable to the city’s Multipurpose Center at the Sports Complex.
"We are working toward upgrading this place currently and we are getting some money from the A&P to do certain upgrades in the building," said Bryant. "When your expenses are $202,000 and your income is $71,000, even if we split it down the middle, it would be up. These rates here are basic increases. For years, the Civic Center and the Sports Complex have competed. You can rent the gym at the Sports Complex for three hours
for $300. You can rent the big room here for $300 for six hours and this has all of the amenities to be used. We need to be comparable to their rates out there."
According to Bryant, as the prices for everything have increased, the prices for rooms at the Civic Center should also increase.
"The council is going to look at raising the rates in the future," said Bryant. "We are cash poor. People can spend money for everything else and everything else has gone up. It is still $100 for this room for four hours. With the bathroom, audio and internet, $100 is nothing for this
room here. On the weekend, it is only $130. Personally, I think it should be $125 and $150. Everything has gone up, so these prices should too."
The group unanimously approved the rates proposed by Bryant.
Following the decision by the board to approve the rate increases, members heard from Mays about her summer feeding program.
"I am with Chance for a Change and I have been working with kids in the area since 2017," said Mays. "I do after school and summer programs, but the main thing I do is feeding programs.