A special meeting of the Hamilton County Supervisors focused on signing the management and catering service agreement with Schonert’s Catering Company of Ames.

There were a few people in the room who had events scheduled and were anxious to talk with them. Adam Schonert, owner and founder of the company met and spoke with each of them, assuring them of future planning.

Schonert has compared pricing, menu choices, and the facilities.

Hamilton County Supervisor April Ely has taken the lead on handling negotiations with Schonert’s Catering Company.

“The Board’s goal throughout this process has been to preserve the Briggs Woods Conference Center as a community asset in a way that’s financially sustainable,” she said. “I can’t speak for the other supervisors, but I do believe that’s been the common objective.”

The agreement between the county and Schonert’s has evolved from first discussions.

“We had some original ideas, but between legal review, operational considerations, and staffing changes, we had to pivot to get to a solution that worked. It certainly wasn’t a straight path, but I think we ended up with an agreement that gives the conference center a good opportunity to move forward,” she said.

“There’s been a lot of focus on the challenges over the past several weeks, but now we have an opportunity to look ahead. Sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same, and I think this was one of those situations,” she said,

“These decisions weren’t easy, but they were made with the long-term future of the conference center and our taxpayers in mind.

The contract agreement between the caterer allows opportunities for local caterers under stipulations spelled out that should keep all those who had hoped to use the Briggs Woods Conference Center for future events excited about some of the

The agreement begins on August 1, 2026 and ends on July 31 2027, unless the county and Schonert’s are in agreement to end it. The agreement also stipulates that they will meet at the end of November to review performance and discuss extending the period.

All currently scheduled events as of August 1 shall be transitioned to the caterer for consultation, menu development regardless of expected attendance.

For any new events, with initial expected attendance of 50 people or more, the county will be referring the catering inquiry to Schonert’s Catering, before the client books another food provider. If he declines the event in writing, the client may use another caterer, local restaurant or food service provider permitted by the county and Briggs Woods Conference Center policies.

For events with fewer than 50 people, clients may use a caterer if they choose, but they are not required to do so.

For further information about the Briggs Woods catering options, Schonert is available at 515-520-8054 ext. 1001 or at adam@schonertscc.com