Battle over the paddle

A dispute over where seniors at the Spokane Valley Senior Center can play pingpong has been simmering for months, and it doesn’t seem like the issue will be taken off a slow burn anytime soon.

Pingpong enthusiasts complain that they were ejected from the senior center with no notice and sent to a place farther away on a road that will be dangerous during winter weather. The chairwoman of the senior center board of directors said the players were moved because of safety after a player fell and broke her arm. Neither side appears ready to budge.

Players are now using the Hepton Point Community Center inside the Valley Real Life Church at 1831 S. Barker Road. Because of the more remote location, only six or seven players are making the trip on Tuesdays and Thursdays, instead of the 15 to 20 people who used to play, said player Ernie Buckler. “People can’t come out here,” he said.

Verne Hutchinson used to play regularly, but he doesn’t get cell phone reception at the new location. He must always be able to be contacted by his wife’s caregiver. “I’ve got to be available,” he said.

Pat Waddell, who has been playing pingpong since age 8, still comes when he can. Like many other players he participates to keep himself mobile and in shape. “Tennis is my game, but my knees won’t allow me to play it anymore,” he said.

Waddell also likes being able to connect with people. “It’s a good group of people,” he said. “It’s not just the pingpong aspect.”

Buckler said he misses being at the senior center. He could get a coffee, read and chat. He would occasionally stay for the lunch served by Valley Meals on Wheels. “We like the senior center,” he said. “We don’t want to be exiled.”

Senior center chairwoman Mary Alice Nelson said the problem was that people were playing in a room that wasn’t safe, something the players don’t argue with. It had a concrete floor and cabinets with sharp edges, Buckler said.

“This building was not designed for any busy recreational games such as that,” said Nelson. “We felt that we just could not have any more accidents.”

Nelson said that the board of directors had been planning for a year to move the pingpong group, but nothing happened for a while because the center couldn’t find anywhere for them to play. “We had been looking for a long time,” she said. “I’m sorry they can’t play here. They should realize that they have a beautiful place to play.”

The section of Barker Road near the church is narrow with tight turns and a steep hill. The pingpong players say they won’t be able to make the trip when winter weather hits. “We’ll die out here in the snow,” Waddel said.

The road isn’t dangerous and there haven’t been any accidents there, Nelson said. “I ask them, why don’t you car pool?” she said.

During the relocation process the pingpong players said they would like to use a multipurpose room on the second floor of the senior center that is used for dances, among other things.

But Nelson said that won’t work. “There are already conflicting things going on,” she said. “That’s also the place where we play bridge tournaments and that’s where we play cards.”

Nelson also said that pingpong is too “exuberant” and noisy to be in the multipurpose room. Buckler said that he and others prepared a plan to deal with all those issues, but Nelson refused to consider it. “They didn’t let us talk about it,” he said. “We agree that all the issues they brought up are legit.”

Hutchinson said the multipurpose room is only used about 14 hours a week. “We can be flexible enough to work around their pre-existing schedule,” he said. “We’re willing to work to limit the noise.”

Nelson said the decision has been made. “It’s a board decision and it was unanimous,” she said. “There’s nothing we can do because it’s a safety issue, and they blame me.”

Buckler said he gave a questionnaire to the board members and that they indicated the pingpong issue was not discussed. He believes Nelson is behind the decision and doesn’t like the way it was handed down.

“She lays down the rules as if she’s the rule-maker,” Buckler said. “It’s supposed to be a board of directors. It’s been handed down from the top. Democratic processes have not been followed. We have to fight that.”

Hutchinson agrees. “It’s not a dead issue just because they say it is,” he said. “We’re going to keep fighting to get that second floor.”