Hornets’ nest in the Village
Rental fee rates are the biggest issues facing Wrightwood Community Services District. It comes down to the fact that the Wrightwood Community Buildings and Parks rental policy is unacceptable. Leaders in the community are outraged over the fee structure the General Manager presented to the Board without considering the impact it would have on the organizations that provide a great service to the community.
At the Tuesday meeting it was unfortunate that the GM had to defend himself however, his insults to various organizations attending were contemptible. Many were in total shock with his comments on the use of the buildings and parks. It was uncalled-for to make public (on the record) comments alleging misuse of facilities by specific organizations. The appropriate steps would have been to address issues with the organizations privately.
In a perfect world, all organizations would be rolling in cash and would easily pay the rent. But the reality is many of the organizations are running on a shoe-string and barely meeting their budgets.
Community members condemned the WCSD Board for accepting the decision, by the GM, to have such outrageous rate increases. Yes, it’s true that the County’s rate structure for renting facilities wasn’t always followed, but that does not mean the WCSD needs to, or should, make up the difference on the budget on the backs of our community organizations.
If the WCSD has budget issues, they could consider closing the restrooms during the week. As it is now, community members don’t really use the restroom facilities. In many communities, such as Arcadia, the small parks don’t have restrooms at all. Our restrooms are used by tourists and are often vandalized and damaged by reckless individuals. The restrooms can be opened on weekends for special events, saving the WCSD hundreds, if not more, dollars per month.
Another issue is the so-called discount of $2 an hour for Non-profit/public agency use. This would not make a dent in the costs for use of the facilities. In addition, having to go to the GM to ask for special consideration, weeks or months before an event, and then wait for the Board meeting to get approval or not, is unreasonable.
Many other cities, like San Marino, have built-in structures for weekday use of facilities, by non-profits/public agency/community service organizations, which include discounts of as much as 50%. These governing entities appreciate the benefit of service organizations to their communities.
WCSD Board does not have to accept the GM’s rate suggestion. Rather they should work with their neighbors to benefit the community. They need to come up with a better solution to cover the cost of operating the buildings. If they don’t, many organizations will have to find other locations to hold their meetings, resulting in no rent money coming in to WCSD.
