I hope that the County Reconsiders their Idea to get money From Non Profit organizations in order to clean the room up again??
BSRancher
Uncordial Welcome
10:00 PM PDT on Thursday, May 18, 2006
San Bernardino County meeting rooms have pulled back the welcome mat for local charities and volunteer groups. Nonprofits that held fundraisers in the County Government Center's rotunda for years free of charge now must pay $1,000, cutting into charitable proceeds. What's more, an elegant meeting room on the top floor is now off-limits to the public without a county escort. The change in policy is hitting groups like Center for Individuals with Disabilities and Soroptimists of San Bernardino. CID has held its Grapes and Gourmet fundraiser in the rotunda for 19 years. Last year, it had to pony up $182 for liability coverage and $810 rent -- a sizable chunk of the $4,000 to $7,000 the event raises. The fundraiser helps support after-school programs for developmentally disabled kids and a pool exercise program for adults with severe arthritis. The Soroptimists' annual Victorian Tea has been held in the rotunda six or seven years. The event brings in $10,000 of the yearly $15,000 in charitable donations the group raises. This year, the group was told it must pay $1,000 for four custodians, said event coordinator Susan Kitchen, even though volunteers have always cleaned up afterward, leaving the place as spotless as they found it. The group got the price down to $850 by persuading the county to assign only three custodians. But the fee takes the money "right out of the hands of the women and girls we are trying to raise it for," Kitchen said. The charity buys musical instruments and bicycles for needy children, awards athletic scholarships, holds workshops to teach girls job interview techniques and etiquette, and donates money to libraries. County spokesman David Wert said groups are not charged for use of the building. "We consider those facilities the property of the public," he said. But they are charged for county employees' time. Another restrictive policy was imposed last year by CAO Mark Uffer, limiting use by "members of the public or other non-county people" of the fifth-floor Citrus Room. The county Commission on the Status of Women had long held its annual Women's Herstory luncheon there. The sheriff's culinary academy (which trains inmates in food service) catered it, minimizing costs. (The event was free to guests.) This year, the group was told the room "wasn't available for that kind of function." It had to pay $22.52 per person for a cold-cuts buffet at a hotel. Wert said the commission could have used a meeting room on the first floor, or the Citrus Room if the event was sponsored by a county supervisor. (The supervisors appoint the commissioners, so presumably they "sponsor" it.) Groups can ask for a fee waiver if a supervisor sponsors the event, Wert said. But they aren't told about the availability of the waiver. The restrictions on fifth-floor access were put in place for security, and to keep people who attend functions from wandering unauthorized into offices and conference rooms. (Couldn't a sign at the entrance caution visitors not to wander?) The county should return to its practice of waiving fees for the 30 or so charities that use the facilities each year. Part of public service is helping those less fortunate -- or helping those who help them. Cassie MacDuff can be reached at (909) 806-3068 or cmacduff@PE.com
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