SUN CITY – Nearly 13 years ago, when Sun City’s covenants and regulations were developed, situations such as a church or other “outside” group renting space in an association-managed facility were not anticipated.
So now, after the CAM board of directors rented space in Meadow View Lodge to the Community Christian Church for three months, the association is going back to the drawing board to update its room reservation guidelines and facility-use standards. When the board approved the church’s request in March, it said it did so because there was nothing in Sun City’s room reservation guidelines or bylaws that prohibited a rental contract with a church. There also was little or no demand for the Oak/Elm Room on Sunday mornings.
A large group of residents opposes the arrangement. They say it sets an improper precedent for outside groups, the contract should not be for a long term, and it violates Sun City resident ownership rights.
The varying timetables among the church’s contract, the Board’s future action regarding it, and the committee review could be a challenge to sort out. The church’s 90-day rental contract for the Oak/Elm Room at Meadow View Lodge on Sunday mornings expires on or about July 10. Rev. Perry Martin, the church’s pastor, says he wants to continue holding services on Sunday mornings, and he hopes the association will extend his contract. His group is averaging weekly attendance of about 30 residents.
Dave Rosenfeldt, president of the Charter Club President’s Council, is coordinating a multi-committee review of all Sun City’s Room Reservation Guidelines and other regulations to determine if they need updating. It is uncertain when that study will be completed. Rosenfeldt is asking the CAM board of directors to hold off any action regarding the church’s room rental contract until the study is finished. That request will be considered by the board at its next meeting on June 22 in Drendel Ballroom.
“The Lifestyles Committee is conducting the research necessary to prepare recommendations for eventual board action,” Rosenfeldt said. “The Facilities Committee also has made a proposal, and the Covenants and Compliance Committee also has to sign off on any recommendations for changes. I don’t know when this process will be completed. I hope the board will give us a chance to finish before they take any action regarding the church. We need to be fair to the church, especially if they have to relocate.”
Rosenfeldt said the focus of the update study is to develop improved guidelines that address long-term or permanent room rentals to “outside” groups. He uses the word “outside” to refer to any group that isn’t a Sun City Charter Club or Special Interest Group.
“We’re concerned about long-term contracts given to a group that is not part of our activity groups,” he said. “Such contracts could tie up a facility for six months or a year, and we don’t believe that’s right. The charter groups and resident neighborhoods have first priority for these spaces. Our documents also do not define what Special Interest Groups are and what rights or responsibilities they have,” he continued. “We need to clarify that.”
He added that the study also is reviewing a current “outside group” contract by a travel agency for a small room in a Sun City facility, and a recent contract with a weight watchers group that originally was part of the Wellness Center but which has become an independent entity.
