The City of Kenai has a new slew of rental fees for the vacant Challenger Learning Center. Kenai City Council members approved a fee schedule Wednesday that describes a refundable deposit, cleaning fee and hourly room rate.
It’s been about a year since the former science center closed due to financial hardship. Since then, it’s been without an anchor tenant.
The building has already been used for this year’s Alaska Fire Conference. And last week it was the site of a political rally hosted by Sen. Dan Sullivan. Kenai City Manager Terry Eubank told the council those groups aren’t the only ones wanting to use the space.
“We continue to have interest in being able to rent that facility – portions of that facility for events,” he said. “I think it does fill a niche we have here in Kenai. It’s got greater capacity than, say, our visitor center. I believe it’s probably even got greater capacity than our senior center.”
Under the new fee schedule, the city will charge renters a refundable $1,000 deposit. That’s in addition to a $200 per hour rental fee, with a minimum of four hours required per rental. That’s on top of a $250 cleaning fee, and an additional $200 per hour beyond the scheduled end rental time.
The council unanimously approved the new fees. Council member Bridget Grieme says the rates are comparable to other rental spaces in Kenai.
“I appreciate this is a way for us to try to offset the basic operation costs of that building,” she said.
The city doesn’t have solid long-term plans for the facility. The council has considered moving Kenai’s police and fire departments to the building. And Eubank says the city has heard from multiple school and nonprofit groups interested in the space. But he says the city’s “preferred direction” is to expand workforce development and vocational training opportunities.
The new fees are effective immediately.
