Guest usage a major point of discussion at meeting

By Mike Wood

Staff writer

Monday, January 26 (12:00 p.m.): Examining how Rossmoor clubs and guests factor into facilities usage eventually could develop into new RWC policy. How to shape that important discussion took center stage at the Policy Committee’s Jan. 12 meeting.

Five existing policies pertaining to this subject might become more clearly defined as discussion continues. Ann Mottola, RWC’s community services director, presented a broad overview of issues for the committee to consider. The Policy Committee meets next on Monday, Feb. 9.

Also to be revisited is whether to develop a policy defining when American flags are to be lowered to half-staff on RWC grounds such as flag posts at the front gate and near Peacock Plaza.

Guest usage dominated the discussion regarding how facilities are used. Usage data has been gleaned since 2024 when the room reservations system was overhauled, and more is being compiled, Mottola said.

RWC-approved clubs or organizations, as defined in Policy 302.0, must have a minimum of 80% Rossmoor membership. But at some club-sponsored events, even though a club might have a membership roster showing it holds to that 20% non-resident cap, event attendance might be closer to a 50/50 split, Mottola said.

Pinning down how many non-resident club members use Rossmoor facilities would help the RWC Board with budget decisions, like addressing wear and tear to facilities and equipment, committee member Ted Bentley said. He said he belongs to several clubs, none of which have outside members.

“If we’re talking 200 people, it might not be a big deal, but if we’re talking 2,000 people with all the clubs we have, that could be a big thing,” Bentley said. A larger number, he said, could cause the Board “to have to change our budget to be able to take care of the outside people who have no skin in the game and nothing that they pay for upkeep and the stuff that we pay for out of our coupon all the time.”

The availability of facilities is critical to committee member Susan Hildreth.

“My personal goal is to make sure that we have as many facilities available for use as possible because new clubs have a hard time getting reservations, other clubs have a hard time beyond historic (room reservations), so that’s in a way my guiding light about this,” Hildreth said.

Board member Janet Seldon said she belongs to a Mahjong club that “consistently gets kicked out of our room many times a year by an event that has a bunch of outside people coming.”

Hildreth and Committee Chair Mary Hurt each pointed out that non-resident attendance at big concerts or large social dance events helps those kinds of events exist here.

“If you didn’t have non-residents participating, those clubs would not be as active as they are, which to some extent benefits residents, but it also makes them different from other clubs,” Hurt said. “These are the kind of things, as we go through, we have to take into consideration.”

Also discussed were when flags should be flown at half-staff in Rossmoor, which drew debate in September. Several Residents Forum letters in this newspaper questioned Rossmoor’s American flags, one of which is at the front entrance and another at Gateway, being at half-staff in the wake of the Sept. 10 assassination of political activist and media personality Charlie Kirk, after a proclamation by President Donald Trump.

During this meeting’s Members Forum, resident Tom Debley advised Rossmoor to stick to a designated list of people that outline for whom a flag is flown at half-staff. Reached after the meeting, Debley said he was referring to previous presidential executive orders pertaining to flags and to the U.S. Flag Code.

“By sticking to that, I think we avoid the problem of people who are concerned about political issues because this would not discriminate against either side,” he said during the forum.

RWC follows federal and state guidelines, said Mottola, who asked the committee if a policy would help matters?

“Is it adding clarity or does it introduce new challenges, particularly around who would have the authority, like would it be making different judgment calls and how those decisions would be applied?” she said.

Committee member Leanne Hamaji said a policy is needed. Hurt said that discussion over time will determine whether to have a policy and if so, what it would be based on.