Loosen Up Massage Therapy, an established tenant in the town’s Venus Municipal Building, has been granted a lease extension by the Board of Selectmen.
“I’ve been renting that space the last 10, 11 years,” Virginia Roebuck, who operates the business, told the selectmen. “Prior to renting directly from the town I was subleasing from the VNA.”
Her massage business is one of several smaller tenants that may have to move if the Ridgefield Visiting Nurse Association’s expansion plans move forward as anticipated, and the nursing association takes over all of the south end of the Venus building, or old high school.
Selectwoman Maureen Kozlark thought that in view of the town’s discussions with nursing association, the lease to Ms. Roebuck should be limited in length.
“Maybe we should do only a one-year lease and then revisit it,” she said.
Selectman Andy Bodner point out that the lease’s wording gave both parties the right to cancel the agreement with 90 days notice.
“I don’t care if it’s one year or five years, as long as we have the right to terminate in 90 days,” he said.
“We both have 90 days, in or out,” Ms. Roebuck said. “It’s really a three-month lease.”
She told the board she pays $520 a month for the space, which is 289 square feet according to First Selectman Rudy Marconi.
The lease was discussed and approved unanimously by the selectmen at their Aug. 14 meeting.