Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Comment Fees topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senior aquatic instructor asks board to waive $35 community-center fee for Y seniors
Summary
Deborah Griggs, a longtime aquatic instructor at the Green Family YMCA, said senior water‑exercise participants have historically used community center space for free and asked the board to waive a recent nominal fee that increased from $25 to $35 for occasional social events.
During public comment at the April 1 Parks and Recreation Board meeting, Deborah Griggs identified herself as "the elite aquatic instructor at the Green Family YMCA" and described a decades‑running water‑exercise cohort of mostly Green residents over age 65 who also meet socially. Griggs said the group historically used the John Torrey Community Center at no cost but that a nominal fee—previously $25—has increased to $35. She asked whether the fee might be waived for senior activity groups that effectively function as a nonprofit social group.
Valerie (staff member) responded with the department’s current policy: the city offers a nonprofit rate but requires documentation such as a 501(c)(3) number to be consistent with audit expectations. Valerie said staff could explore options — including booking the YMCA under its nonprofit status or otherwise documenting nonprofit affiliation — and offered to follow up to try to secure the lower rate for the group.
Griggs thanked staff for the time and said the request was not intended to be contentious but to preserve occasional low‑cost social gatherings for seniors. Staff and the board suggested informal follow-up and offered guidance about reservations versus walk‑in use of outdoor pavilions.
