Cheshire Select Board Rescinds 171 Percent Youth Center Rent Hike Unanimously

CHESHIRE — June 22, 2026 — Cheshire Select Board unanimously rescinds proposed 171 percent Youth Center rent hike after chair finds data error. Board Chair Michelle Franciscone opened the June 22 meeting by disclosing that the market-rate analysis behind a proposed rent increase from $3,500 to $9,500 per month had used a square-footage figure of 15,548 square feet, while town documents consistently show the Youth Center's dedicated space at 9,135 square feet — a discrepancy she discovered the prior Sunday. Applying the same $7.50-per-square-foot rate to the lower figure yields a monthly rate of approximately $5,709. Youth Center Board Chair Jill Brothers read a formal counterproposal calling for a $4,000 monthly baseline, a 12-year lease term needed for grant eligibility, and a 2 percent annual escalation; she noted the center serves 80 to 120 children daily and that staff are roughly 60 to 65 percent Cheshire residents. The board voted four to zero to hold the lease at the current rate pending a new commercial appraisal and a follow-up negotiating session in two weeks. The board also authorized Town Administrator Jennifer Morse to submit two AFG grant applications — for firefighter PPE and a tanker truck — by the June 22 deadline.