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12-19-2024 10:31am
City Council Approves Rec Center Rate Increases, Wants Attorney OK of Rules
Saline Rec Center members will pay more next year.
Membership fees will rise by three percent for City of Saline residents. Members who aren't city residents will pay an increase of six percent. The hikes are effective Jan. 1.
Customers who pay by credit card will pay a 2.65 percent fee and $0.25 per transaction.
The city-owned rec center claims 3,o00 members. Fees rose 8 percent in 2025 and six percent in 2023 and 2022.
The Rec Center expects to raise $23,oo0 more in revenue and the credit card change is expected to save $25,000.
The fee changes were approved by a 6-0 vote.
An individual resident pays $400 per year ($12-month contract). The cost is $62 a month without a contract.)
Council Wants Rules Approved by Attorney
City council has not yet approved the new Rec Center rules and policy handbook.
Councillor Janet Dillon said she wanted the city attorneys to review the rules. Mayor Brian Marl asked Dillon which rules warrant review by legal counsel. Dillon said she had concerns about a rule that allows the search of personal belongings.
Councillor Jack Ceo asked about a policy that specifies individuals use the locker room corresponding with gender identity. Councillor Jack Ceo said he might be cynical after a career in law enforcement, so he asked how the Rec Center might prevent people with nefarious intent from taking advantage the rule.
Parks and Rec Director Sunshine Lambert said staff monitor the Rec Center and are in contact with members and said anyone uncomfortable is free to use the family rest room.
The Saline Post has asked members of City Council and City Manager Colleen O'Toole for additional information.
Saline City Council approved rate increases without any information provided about the Rec Center budget or whether the Rec Center is running a deficit or not.
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Replies
Nicole Rice
Neighbor
12-19-2024 9:08pm
Care to share with the community HOW you asked city council for more clarification?
I disagree with this
This is unverified
Spam
Offensive
Ali McDonald
Neighbor
12-20-2024 6:46am
The Rec Center provides incredible value to members and visitors, innovating and offering a wide range of services and programs on a very limited budget. Pricing, even with the increase, is more than competitive. Love this place, the people who work there, and support the increase!
Understand the motivation and complexity around gender identify and use of locker rooms. Also support people living as the gender with which they identify.
As a member, my preference would be that individuals with a gender identity that does not correspond to their identity at birth (i.e. born male, now identify as female) use the family locker room rather than the locker room corresponding to their current gender identity. The family locker room is already unisex, has private rooms, and is not designed to accommodate a large number of people at once. Asking, for example, women who are uncomfortable with someone who is anatomically male being in the women's locker room to use the family locker room when a trans individual is in the woman's locker room will, at times (for example after a class, during a birthday party), result in long lines for the family locker room and/or women changing in the bathroom stalls and showers of the woman's locker room. I fear it will also drive down membership and revenue.
I support trans individuals and believe their needs to be an accommodation. Also am uncomfortable being in a woman's locker room with someone who is anatomically male. In my view, trans individuals using the family locker room is the better solution.
Suzanne Atzinger
Neighbor
12-20-2024 10:51am
Your statement is very wise, fair and balanced. Thank you
Ali McDonald
Neighbor
12-21-2024 8:26am
Interesting, Suzanne. I was expressing my concerns with being in the woman's locker room with someone who is anatomically male and stating what I believe to be a better solution (and one that is consistent with other areas). Given that my post is based on MY thoughts on the topic, you certainly are not in a position to say that it is false or inaccurate.
By the way, my employer instituted trans use of bathrooms based on gender with which they identify and I had no issue. Bathrooms have stalls and everything that happens in there is private. Locker rooms are an ENTIRELY different matter. There is a way to handle this that does not accommodate trans individuals at the expense of the comfort of many non-trans members. And why should the needs/desires of trans members be placed above the needs/desires of non-trans? There is a win-win here with trans using the family locker room. That is the point.
Ali McDonald
Neighbor
12-21-2024 8:30am
Suzanne, sorry for my response to your comment. I misread it initially (should finish my morning caffeine prior to posting!) and thought it said exactly the opposite of what it does. Unfortunately, I cannot find a way to delete my response which is completely unaligned with what you said. Thank you for your support. Take care and, again, my apologies.
Suzanne Atzinger
Neighbor
12-20-2024 10:48am
Jack Ceo, you are not being cynical. You are looking at the whole picture and taking in to consideration the safety of all. My adult daughter is a rec center member. She is a vulnerable individual. Her independence and self determination and her rights would be compromised if this policy is allowed .Your concerns are merited as stated.
Libby Williams
Neighbor
12-29-2024 9:43am
I’m disturbed not only by the comments from Councilman Ceo, but also those in this forum. “Why should the needs/desires of trans members be placed above the need/desires of non trans?” WOW. First of all, they’re not. They are accommodating the exact same needs for both parties. That need is a place to change and shower during their time at the center.
The problem is the assumption that a transgender person will inherently misuse the bathroom and assault someone. There have been several studies showing this to be false. In actuality, allowing individuals to use bathrooms aligned with gender identity reduces the risk of assault on transgender people!
Demanding that transgender individuals only use the family bathroom is demeaning. It “others” them; it outcasts them. Separate but equal wasn’t right then, and it isn’t now.
