Following recent recommendations from a Stamford-based marketing firm, town officials last week voted in favor of sharp increases to rental rates for Waveny House.
The rental fees charged by the town for special events such as weddings “have been substantially low for a number of years,” Interim Director of Parks and Recreation John Howe told members of the Board of Selectmen at their March 22 meeting.
“And we don’t think that many people go to Waveny House because of the fee,” Howe said at the meeting, held at Town Hall and via videoconference. “They pick it more because that’s where they want to have their event.”
First Selectman Kevin Moynihan and Selectmen Kathleen Corbet and Nick Williams voted 3-0 in favor of the new rates. The Parks & Recreation Commission had recommended changes to the fee schedule during its March meeting, Howe said.
Here’s a table detailing the new rental rates, effective April 1:
Waveny House Rental Fees
| April through November | Current Pricing | New Pricing* |
|---|---|---|
| Resident Fee | ||
| Friday | $2,700 | $4,500 |
| Saturday | $3,400 | $5,000 |
| Sunday | $2,700 | $4,500 |
| Non-Resident Fee | ||
| Friday | $3,200 | $5,000 |
| Saturday | $3,900 | $5,500 |
| Sunday | $3,200 | $5,000 |
| December through March | ||
| Resident Fee | ||
| Friday | $1,700 | $3,600 |
| Saturday | $2,200 | $4,000 |
| Sunday | $1,700 | $3,600 |
| Non-Resident Fee | ||
| Friday | $2,200 | $3,750 |
| Saturday | $2,700 | $4,250 |
| Sunday | $2,200 | $3,750 |
*effective April 2, 2022
Waveny House plays host to 50 to 60 weddings per year, Moynihan said. The town is seeking to increase revenues from about $140,000 to about $300,000 through the new rate schedule, he said. The rates have not been updated in about five years, he said. Since people book weddings out for two years, revenues from the increased rates may not come into the town for about that long, he said. The money is expected to “significantly offset” the cost of capital improvements such as for the new roof at Waveny House and ADA compliance work, he said.
As per recommendations from Stamford-based Case Study Brands, the town also is seeking to re-market Waveny House as a wedding venue.
“We need to try to get it perceptively out of the Rec Department and more of a Waveny House wedding venue experience and that could involve a website that sells it more,” Moynihan said.
Howe said that the staff at the Recreation Department found what former Recreation Director Steve Benko intended to propose for Waveny House rental rates and “it’s very close to these numbers, just little small changes there.”
“But mainly it’s more in keeping with some of the other places that have a similar venue around here,” Howe said.
Dang! That’s some serious inflation.