Controversy Continues Over Rates for The Timbers

Eureka resident Carleen Murray is a woman on a mission.

Last month, the working mother went before the city’s board of aldermen to protest the membership fees for the nearly completed recreational center, The Timbers. On Tuesday, she was back, this time with another 15 or citizens who shared her sentiment.

Currently, a full membership for a family of residents is $550 annually, $450 for a single adult. Other membership range from $250 for seniors to as much as $750 for non-resident families. 

Murray contended that these rates are far too high for her and other families in the area to afford.

“I am not the only who feels this is exclusive rather than inclusive,” she said. “There is a small part of Eureka that can afford this, however, there are many of us who can’t.”

In a sometimes heated back-and-forth between Murray and the city’s elected officials, the board said they received advice from a third-party consultant and then set the rates based upon what they expected the operating costs of the facility.

Alderman Don Beckerle said he would “love to make it free” but the expense would be too much for Eureka’s budget to handle.

Mayor Kevin Coffey disagreed with Murray, saying that their current membership rates, which can be paid monthly, are low enough that a majority of the city’s residents can afford it.

Coffey added that the Timbers is not designed to be a “for-profit” venture and the city is fully expected it will need to be subsidized by one degree or another by the city’s tax revenues.

“It’s about a balance between tax and fee support,” he said.  

However, he indicated that the process is still “fluid” and that the fee structure could possibly change. At a previous meeting, the council discussed several possible options after alderwoman Marilyn Leistner noted that places such as the YMCA offered memberships on a “sliding scale,” based on income.

The planning process for the new rec center took place over several years and involved resident surveys and recommendations from various committees.

Originally, a site had been selected in Allentown that would have been much cheaper, but the economic recession dashed that plan. The construction is likely to be completed by August for a price tag of $10 million, plus an additional $1 million spent acquiring the property. 

Still, Murray said she felt the voices of residents had not been heard in terms of the amenities provided or the membership costs and would like to have seen more citizen input.

After the meeting, several residents also expressed frustration at the fees. Disappointment was the prevailing sentiment for many who said they had been looking forward to the new rec center, but would now be unable to go.

Resident Georgia Webb lives right behind the center, which is located off Route 109 across the highway from Eureka City Hall,  and said the rates “are just too high” for her fixed income.

Tami Sandoval and her husband attended the meeting along with their three kids. The cost isn’t an issue for the Sandovals personally, but Tami said it felt like it did put it out of reach for many of her neighbors, especially the elderly.

“If you are going to have a community recreation center, then the community should be able to go,” she said.