A three-year capital spending plan for the Lodge and Conference Center at Geneva-on-the-Lake includes renovation of the restaurant and lounge, wireless Internet access in guest rooms, lobby and parking lot renovation, refurbishing of 36 rooms and renovation of the indoor pool area.
Jeannette Petrolia, general manager, presented the plan to the Convention Facilities Authority (CFA) Friday morning. The CFA oversees the bed tax money that funds lodge improvements and debt reduction.
Starting in 2010, the lodge will see a 50-percent increase in the amount of money collected for the capital renewals and reserves (R&R;) fund. The county’s 10-year contract with Delaware North, which manages the lodge for the county, stipulates 4 percent of gross revenues would go toward R&R; in the first five years of operation. That percentage jumps to 6 percent in the second half of the contract term.
The R&R; fund will receive about $205,000 this year; that is projected to grow to $289,000 in 2010.
The Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners did not want lodge management to see that as additional revenue to spend on amenities and requested the CFA set aside a portion of the revenue for big-ticket emergency repairs, such as replacing a roof.
Accordingly, Petrolia set aside $15,656 this year and plans to add between $40,000 and $55,000 annually in the next three years.
Commissioner Daniel Claypool, who attended the meeting with Board President Peggy Carlo, said he feels it is important to keep the facility looking fresh and appealing to guests while making sure there is provision for major capital expenses.
“We believe there has to be a reinvestment into the rooms so it doesn’t end up with 109 rooms needing updating at one time,” he said.
The three-year plan budgets $60,000 annually to refurbish 12 guest king- and double-size rooms.
The 2010 plan also sets aside $75,000 for restaurant and lounge renovation. That is a tentative project that is still being studied.
Petrolia said the lodge also needs to purchase new bicycles that will be rented to guests to use on the new bike trail. The trail was built between the lodge and state park this year and been very popular with lodge guests and park users alike.
The lodge has been furnishing bicycles at no charge. The budget calls for 20 new bicycles at $300 each, plus a dispensing site for $8,000. The lodge plans to charge a fee to rent the bicycles.
“We feel that will be a nice revenue stream for us,” Petrolia said.
Other items on the 2010 capital plan include new computers, software, wireless for guest rooms and $28,800 to upgrade the lodge Web site. Total bill for 2010 improvements will be $216,600, plus $50,000 for emergency repair.
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