Table tennis group treated unfairly

Mary Alice Nelson’s recent letter in the Valley Voice claiming that the Spokane Valley Senior Association has provided the table tennis equipment is false.

Both tables were donated long ago by members of the group. They are also falling apart because they are low-end tables, never designed for steady use. Members have maintained them with epoxy and screws as needed. To their credit, the senior association has recently bought four new paddles and a dozen new three-star ping-pong balls.

I can also verify Pat Waddell’s claim in his follow-up letter. I, too, was at the board meeting and our polite request to form a committee, per the by-laws of the association, to look into ways to solve the purported problems, was turned down cold, without discussion.

Mary Alice’s claims that the table tennis group has been treated fairly is not supported by the facts. Every question on the questionnaire handed out to board members regarding table tennis space requirements and the size of the upper-level multipurpose exercise floor was answered with “no” or “not known.”

It appears that a decision has been handed down to the board, as there certainly had been very little – if any – discussion of ways to keep the game available for senior citizen enjoyment at the Valley Senior Center.

Ernest Buckler

Spokane Valley