BATTLE GROUND — A new fee structure to rent the Battle Ground Senior Center has one group moving on to greener pastures. After nearly three decades at the center, the Saturday night pinochle group has found a new home for its twice-a-month games.
“They gave us no options,” longtime group member Judy Saleg said Thursday.
Saleg said the group will now hold its games at a retirement home.
Saleg brought her concerns to the Battle Ground City Council at its Jan. 2 and Feb. 5 meetings.
“I’m here to plead for the seniors. You guys — and I’ve been told it’s this body that’s done this — are making it so we can’t play pinochle anymore. We can’t play pinochle on Saturday nights because you keep raising the costs,” Saleg told the council.
Saleg said the group may only meet twice a month, but the gatherings are important to the players.
“We provide a meal, so the seniors have a good meal at least twice a month. They’re getting activities, they’re talking to other people, they’re playing a game to keep their minds going,” Saleg said.
Kim Cederholm, facilities manager for Battle Ground’s parks department, said when she began managing the center three years ago, she found the rates “were all over the board.”
“It was, ‘Tell me how much you can afford, how much can you pay.’ It was all over the place,” Cederholm said during the council’s Feb. 5 meeting.
Rather than continue to charge different rates for different groups, the fees are now divided into two groups: rates for nonprofits and rates for private or commercial use.
“Additionally, renters are required to provide the city with a copy of their nonprofit certification otherwise their rental application would have to be processed at the private rental rates,” Cederholm said Wednesday.
Rental rates vary based on the facility. For the senior center, nonprofit groups pay $15 per hour to rent the main room with kitchen while private and commercial groups pay $30 per hour. Both groups are required to pay a $50 nonrefundable annual maintenance fee.
Three senior citizen groups had been renting the center on a regular schedule. Two of those groups have merged under the nonprofit umbrella of Battle Ground Senior Citizens Inc. The Saturday group was given the option to join the nonprofit but declined.
“They chose to decline again for the third time,” said Sharon Wodtke, president of the nonprofit. “They have moved on.”
Michelle Phillips, from the Tuesday and Thursday senior citizen pinochle group, said that group joined the nonprofit which has meant it could keep using the center.
“We’re so grateful,” Phillips said.
Phillips said she understands why having access to the senior center is important to Saleg.
“There are people that are in this parking lot at 10:30, waiting to come in. This is their only socialization. I provide a hot meal for them, which they need,” she said. “I’ve been the coordinator for 16 years, and it gives me joy.”
As is so often the case, there’s more to the story than just higher fees.
One issue was whether the group was legally allowed to gamble. At the Saturday games, each player contributes $5. The players can then win small amounts of money or small prizes. The stakes may be low, but it is still illegal to have card games involving prizes and wagering without a license.
Saleg said members of the Saturday night group didn’t join with the larger nonprofit group because they would have had to give up their gaming night. Even if the Saturday group had chosen to pursue nonprofit status, or joined with an existing nonprofit, city code would still have prohibited gambling activities.
One last option available to the Saturday night group was reimbursement. Under the Senior Activities Reimbursement Program adopted by the city council in 2021, all senior groups may be eligible for reimbursement — regardless of nonprofit status.
“The city council approved the increase to the budget of this reimbursement program from $8,000 to $12,000, effective Jan. 1,” Cederholm said. “The Battle Ground Senior Citizens Inc. and the ‘Tuesday and Thursday Senior Pinochle’ groups have participated in the reimbursement program since its inception.”
While she may seek reimbursement for past rentals, Saleg said she couldn’t afford to pay the fees out of pocket and then have to wait for reimbursement. She said it was just easier and more straightforward to move to a new location.
For more information about the Battle Ground Senior Center, go to https://www.cityofbg.org/259/Battle-Ground-Senior-Center.
