 |
 |
By DEREK MOORE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
A flea market in front of the Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Hall
Sonoma County supervisors vote today on whether to turn over management of four veterans buildings to two nonprofit groups.
The larger of the two proposals would turn over management of the Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Cotati buildings to United Camps, Conferences and Retreats, a Petaluma-based nonprofit group that runs private recreational sites in Northern California.
River to Coast Children’s Services, a Guerneville nonprofit group, would head up a coalition to manage the Guerneville building.
Some veterans groups have expressed reservations about the third-party management of the facilities, in particular fears that they will be given less priority when it comes to scheduling.
County officials say shifting management of the four facilities to the nonprofits will save the county $330,622 this budget year.
United Camps would be granted a five-year concession agreement to operate the Santa Rosa, Petaluma and Cotati facilities with one option to extend the agreement for another five years.
The county would pay a concessionaire’s fee to the nonprofit based on a percentage of gross revenue.
The county would eliminate a full-time management and full-time booking clerk position with the changeover, saving the county about $260,000 a year.
The River to Coast group would be awarded a 15-year lease agreement to operate the Guerneville building. The county would reimburse the nonprofit an amount not to exceed $75,000 over the first two years for kitchen improvements and start-up costs.
Officials estimate the county would save $510,000 over the life of the 15-year agreement.
Any future changes in rates, fees or charges that exceed the consumer price index would require prior approval from county supervisors under the terms of both deals.
The nonprofits also would be required to charge the same fees to all renters and do not have the authority to waive or reduce fees for users.
County supervisors in the past have approved numerous such requests.
Supervisors in June approved turning over management of the Sebastopol veterans building to the Sebastopol Center for the Arts.
The county is in talks to sell the Cloverdale veterans building to the city of Cloverdale. The Sonoma building will continue to be managed by the county after community members turned out to oppose any change in management.
You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com
Subscribe by Email
Follow us on Twitter
Manuel-that’s Shirley for you. Promising NO CONTRACTING OUT OF COUNTY JOBS and she gets elected and votes for contracting out. It’s NOT CHEAPER. Whose going to pay for the million dollar repairs that are needed if a non profit takes over? That’s the excuse for going to nonprofits. Bet the county pays or none are done.
It’s a shame. Vet’s buildings have ALWAYS been a great resource. WHY WEREN’T REPAIRS DONE WHEN THE COUNTY WAS FLUSH? Postponing road work shouldn’t have happened either.
Take the time to read this report and you will see how our county has fallen down on its responsibilities. Shame on the various BOS over the years.
http://www.sonoma-county.org/parks/halls/pdf/vets_report.pdf
What happened to the county employees who worked there?
That IS something we should have read in the Press Democrat.
How odd that the paper neglects to mention that very issue. Makes one wonder if the subscription prices are worth it.
Grey, Nobody gave it to the veterans for Free just since they build it for the Vets they gave them a discount or at cost! You may not need it but a lot of combat vets do.
Mr. Whitmore, don’t you think that us Veteran’s Sacrificed enough, maybe you didn’t go through the hell like we did. I still have a hard time and it’s been a little over 30 years.
On Memorial Day Shirlee Zane was one of the speakers at Memorial Park Cemetery. She said to us Veterans that we need to do a lot more for our Veterans and here she is about to vote on maybe letting a Nonprofit Group run our Veteran Buildings. As a Veteran myself, I feel that Shirlee Zane is a back stapping Politician.
Sorry Vets, but you gotta sacrifice like everyone else.
And yes, I know you served your country and so did I. But this me, me, me has got to end somewhere.
We simply cannot afford it anymore.
So, Do the Veterans have any advantage here or is it just a Private hall now?
“The nonprofits also would be required to charge the same fees to all renters and do not have the authority to waive or reduce fees for users.”
A past article specified “deferred maintenance” as the reason the County could not continue to run the Veterans Buildings. Are these coalitions of non-profits going to put money into buildngs? My guess is that the County will pay for the maintenance while the bidders reap the benefits of these public resources.
My question would be-What happens to the COUNTY employees who have worked there years and years? Those at the refuse center have received layoff notices. The same with other jobs that are being outsourced.
It’s been proved OVER AND OVER AND OVER again that contracting out decreases the quality of services while costing the consumers MORE. Look at the privately run jails for one huge costly example.
Less services, less responsibility…
higher and higher taxation.
Once we realize the gold in Fort Knox is gone maybe people’s built in trust will diminish.
I think it might be time for people to conduct their own little audits in our respective towns.
I’ll betcha the more we looked, the more we’d find…wrong.
If a governmental entity of any kind cannot afford to maintain and operate what it already owns, it should be required by law to sell it.
The voters could actually put such an item on the ballot through a signature drive :)
How sweet would that be to give the government an official directive: fix, repair, and operate it or we seize it and sell it off to the private sector which will immediately use it properly and without dozens and dozens of hand wringing “meetings” ,,,,,
It’s reprehensible for the BOS to stab the veterans in the back yet allow the outrageous cost of illegal immigration which, is in the millions of dollars and, the outrageous cost of the bloated pensions of the safety and public employee unions. Trying to save a projected $15-30,000 a year on the back of the people from our community who put their lives on the front lines is just as disgusting as it gets. The equally vulgar part is these non-profits will cost more in the 15 year period and our service people will wither by the wayside. Sorry the veterans cannot contribute to political campaigns of the BOS. It’s the Obama/UN mentality to weaken America, Christianity and the community spirit so that government influence will prevail. Yet the PD and the Sonoma masses will continue voting for the horror show.
This seems silly for the gov’t to turn it over to a non-profit. Just run it. Put it in as part of parks and rec.