Board may reconsider pingpong at senior center

Some relief may be in sight for members of the Spokane Valley Senior Center who were forced to leave the center months ago and play pingpong in a different location.

The long simmering disagreement between the senior center board and the players may be coming to an end, Spokane Valley Parks and Recreation director Mike Stone told the city council Tuesday. The group of players met with City Manager Mike Jackson and were invited to a senior center board meeting to discuss a possible reconsideration of the decision to make the group move, Stone said. “They were able to clarify a lot of miscommunication,” he said.

Stone said he was told that the board is willing to consider letting the group come back and that the schedule for the center’s dance floor is being examined to determine when the group might be able to play. A final decision may come in the next week and Stone said he expects the board to improve its policies and procedures in response to the dispute. “I think this will be a very positive learning experience,” he said.

During the meeting the council again discussed whether or not to consider a regional transportation benefit district that would impose a license tab fee to raise money for street preservation projects, but the only thing the council could agree to was to put off the decision again.

Councilman Bill Gothmann said the council needs to make a decision “one way or the other” to let Spokane County know if the city was interested in a regional TBD or not. He said he favors a regional approach rather than the city going its own way. “If we get 100 percent of the money, that means the regional projects will not be addressed,” he said.

Councilwoman Rose Dempsey said she was torn. On the one hand the city should go with the county to share the load, but on the other hand why should the city go with the county and a probable $40 fee rather than going it alone and only charging $20. “It’s got to go to a public vote no matter what we do,” she said.

Mayor Tom Towey said the regional TBD isn’t scheduled to be on the ballot until April 2012, which gives the city “breathing room.” He said he is also concerned that since the state legislature passed the law allowing regional TBDs, not one has been formed. “It’s all been city,” he said.

Councilman Dean Grafos agreed with Dempsey’s comment that the city should put any fee before the voters even though the law allows a city council to impose a $20 fee on its own authority. “We have some time,” he said. “2012 is probably when we should look at this. I would not be in favor of forming a TBD at this time.”

Gothmann said the council should also consider other funding options for street preservation, but reminded his fellow council members that the city has been delaying a decision on how to fund street projects for seven years. “How much more do you want to kick the ball down the road?” he said.

Councilwoman Brenda Grassel said she wasn’t ready to make a decision on a TBD yet. “I have a lot of unanswered questions,” she said.

In other business, the council also discussed two proposed leases for classroom space at CenterPlace. Community Colleges of Spokane and the Central Valley School District have both been negotiating for space. The city used to get $16 per square foot for its space, but prices have gone down. Community Colleges of Spokane is interested in leasing one room at $8 per square foot and Central Valley is proposing $9.50 a square foot for two classrooms for teacher training. “The rental rates certainly have gone down since 2005,” Stone said.

But both contracts contain other benefits for the city. All the rooms can still be rented out whenever they are not in use by the organizations and CCS has put a computer lab in its room that can be used by other renters. “Central Valley is offering the use of some of their school facilities” for city programs as part of its deal, Stone said.

Grassel said she was concerned that the two organizations were proposing such low rates. “We haven’t gone back and countered those?” she said.

“We were back and forth for several months,” Stone said. The proposed leases are the result of the lengthy negotiations.

“I think we have to bite the bullet like everybody else” and accept less money, said Dempsey.

The council is scheduled to vote on the leases at its next meeting.