Fees to rent Aspen Hall, Hollinshead Barn and picnic facilities maintained by the Bend Metro Park and Recreation District are going up roughly 25 percent.

The across-the-board hike comes after four to five years without rate adjustments, Director of Recreation Wayne Smith said on Tuesday.

”The only thing out of the ordinary is usually we make regular incremental adjustments to deal with inflation (and) the cost of doing business,” he said.

Although the fee hikes go into effect May 1, the new rates won’t affect any reservations already on the books, Smith said. Because the facilities can be rented up to one year in advance, most people won’t be paying the new fee until summer 2007.

People renting Aspen Hall and Hollinshead Barn during the week will also be paying for a four-hour block initially, and the hourly rate thereafter, instead of paying hour by hour.

”Part of it is just that four hours has pretty much been the minimum people will use it,” Smith said. ”We thought, for consistency and convenience, we’ll just make a four-hour block.”

Weekend reservations, in which people rent a 12-hour block at a time, will keep that format, only at higher rates. Deposits and insurance are unchanged.

The district charges different fees for nonprofits and commercial entities or private parties, and the facilities will continue to be available at no charge to the Bend-La Pine School District, Smith said.

Maintenance costs are going up because of the popularity of district-owned buildings and designated picnic areas, he said.

People have been known to camp out in front of the office to snatch up prime spots as soon as the office opens.