HomeMy WebLinkAbout090625 email - For Monday's workshop on contracts for our community centersALERT: BE CAUTIOUS This email originated outside the organization. Do not open attachments or click on links if you are not expecting them.
I was fascinated by last week's review of some of the county's outstanding contracts. Along with the two people who made public comments, I was impressed by the transparency of the
discussion.
As the treasurer of an organization that regularly rents rooms for meetings, I'd like to share that our community centers provide a rare and valuable public service that is worth subsidizing.
I'm mostly familiar with the Tri-Area and the Port Townsend centers. Both are both easy to rent, and the group renting them does not have to provide proof of insurance, which is required
for renting rooms at public schools and city buildings. Nor is a damage deposit required. Port Townsend and Chimacum Schools bill for the additional custodial fees, which can really
mount up. Rooms at Fort Worden have been extremely expensive, Buildings at the county fairgrounds are useful for large groups but cost more to rent than the community centers I am
familiar with. Our city and county libraries provide free rooms, but they are fairly small and are not available after library closing hours.
All of these factors make the Tri-Area and Port Townsend centers irreplaceable, especially for informal groups with small budgets. In my experience, both are well-managed.
Tri-Area is centrally located, and the rent charged is very modest, making it uniquely useful in enhancing community connections.
I hope that you will collect information on the groups that rent these community centers to assess the service they are currently providing. I hope that your RFP process will ensure
that our community centers remain economical and easy to rent. They provide value to the community that can't be found elsewhere.
Deborah Pedersen
Port Townsend