Outside groups that use the Cobleskill Firehouse must find another venue.
Because of maintenance demands, the Fire Department is limiting use of the building's meeting room to department functions and local government meetings.
The new policy went into effect January 1 and affects the Cobleskill Regional Hospital Auxiliary, a farmers' market and private groups that have used the firehouse in the past.
"For the past several years, we've seen it used more and more," said department President Bill Johnson.
"Being a volunteer organization, we're finding it more and more difficult to maintain."
The department charges $150 for renting the firehouse, and that hardly offsets bathroom and cleaning supplies, utilities and other costs, not to mention volunteers' time maintaining the building, Mr. Johnson said.
"As volunteers, we protect the community and respond to emergencies," he said. "We're not in business to rent gathering space."
Another demand on volunteers was that at least one fire department member had to be present for the duration of a group's function.
"It's hard enough to find volunteers, and then to find someone to give up a Friday night, Saturday or weekend was difficult," Mr. Johnson said.
He added that firefighters also felt that renting their meeting room for a nominal fee hurt private businesses earning a living that way: the Best Western, Justine's, Caverns Palace and others.
Mayor Mark Galasso supported the decision.
"Their demands are so time-consuming, and they're spread so thin," he said.
"They had to do all the prep work and the clean-up. They're saying, 'What did we sign up for?'"
Renting the room was never supposed to be a money-maker, Mayor Galasso said, and he agreed with Mr. Johnson that the department shouldn't be competing against private businesses.
Because the firehouse is owned by the village and is therefore public, the department may suffer criticism.
Mayor Galasso has a response for the critics:
"For the people who complain, let them put in the hours that the fire department and auxiliary put in," he said.