Finance Committee Approves Request To Fund Installation Of Kayak Rental Station In Telulah Park

The Finance Committee met 02/26/2024. The meeting was not long, and they spent around 10 minutes discussing the proposal to install a kayak rental station in Telulah Park. This item had been discussed at the 02/12/2024 Finance Committee meeting at which it was held in order to provide staff to provide more details as to project and the agreement that the city would enter into with a private company called Rent Fun to manage the location.

The committee ended up voting 4-0 to recommend the item for approval.

I’ve prepared a transcript of the discussion for download:

Director of Parks, Recreation, and Facilities Dean Gazza had prepared a memo answering the questions the committee members had raised at the last meeting. The city would partner with a company called Rent Fun to provide a self-service kayak rental station in Telulah Park. This would be part of a network of such stations along the Fox River In Fox Crossings, Kimberly, Neenah, and Appleton. Appleton would receive 60% of rental fees and Rent Fun would receive 40%. The initial agreement with Rent Fun would last for 5-years at which point it could be extended. The start-up cost for the city was a total of $28,500, of which $13,500 would be paid for by a donation from the Visitors and Convention Bureau, leaving the cost to Appleton’s taxpayers at only $15,000. City staff anticipated making back that investment and also bringing in money on top of it.

Alderperson Sheri Hartzheim (District 13) asked to clarify whether or not the city would own the kayaks associated with the rental site. Director Gazza responded that they would not. The rental station was a service where Rent Fun would provide the racks and the kayaks. The company would also provide once a week inspections and deal with complaints and the exchange of money. Although the city would not own the kayaks, if they renewed the agreement after the initial 5 years, they would not have to pay another activation fee.

Rent Fun will be adding similar rental stations all along the Fox River through the Fox Valley. This was something that the Fox Cities Visitors and Convention Bureau had hoped they would be able to get all of the area communities to participate in, which is why they were fronting nearly half the cost of Appleton’s initial installation fee.

Alderperson Hartzheim asked if renters would need to return their kayaks to the station from which they rented or if they would be able to rent at a station up-river and then drop the kayak off at a station down-river. Director Gazza said that that wasn’t the intent of the stations but he thought it would be the best way to do things.

Alderperson Brad Firkus (District 3) commented that part of his district ran along the river and he had had constituents tell him they had to help kayakers out who had gone downstream and then underestimated the amount of effort it would require to go back up against the current.

Alderperson Firkus also wanted to clarify what hours the station would be operational and if there would be any safeguards in place to prevent people from renting kayaks in the middle of the night. He was concerned about the possibility of inebriated people going out after leaving the bar.

Director Gazza said that the intended hours of operation were from dawn until dusk. He wasn’t sure if the hours would shift over the summer as sunrise and sunset shifted, or if Rent Fun would be setting specific hours of operation. He said they did not want people operating the kayaks in the middle of the night.

Alderperson Katie Van Zeeland (District 5) asked what would happen if the city tried it and felt it wasn’t working. How much would pulling out of the agreement cost the city?  Director Gazza said there was a 30-day trial period. After that, they would need to negotiate with Rent Fun as to the terms of leaving. The agreement did not spell out how much of their initial investment the city would be entitled to if they ended the agreement early. He did note, however, that similar rental stations had been successful in other locations which gave them confidence it would likewise be successful in Appleton.

The item was approved by a vote of 4-0.

View full meeting details and video here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1165862&GUID=C5A9B4FA-6FD6-491A-9D0B-702D4B5F7C2B