KP Civic Center examines insurance options

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Danna Webster, KP News

Current insurance fees threaten to put the Key Peninsula Civic Center out of business, the KP Civic Center Association says. At a February meeting, the KPCCA board was asked to consider three options for reducing the nearly $26,000 annual fees.

One option is to deed the property to Key Peninsula Metropolitan Park District. The KPCCA would continue to be responsible for the operational portion of its organizations and finances. The insurance cost would be reduced to $11,400. The second option would be to deed the property to the KP Parks and Recreation District as the parent organization with the same qualifications. The insurance cost would become $13,000. The third option is to purchase insurance through a nonprofit insurance specialist in California, which would cost under $13,100. This option is preferred by some members as a way to buy the Civic Center some more time before a long-term decision is made.

Bruce Macdonald, KPCCA executive committee member, told the meeting that some in the committee feel it is best to go with metro parks option because it has its own formal organization, is separate from Civic Center and KPCCA can be independent of the election of metro officers.

He pointed out that the KPPRD option would require election costs for new commissioners. He said the choice should not be made based on sympathetic park commissioners but that “the key here is the document that describes the relationship between the parent organization and operations of the Civic Center.”

Ben Thompson, KPCCA executive board member and current KPPRD commissioner, presented the argument in favor of having the KPPRD as the parent organization for the Civic Center. “This is probably one of more important decisions this board will make,” he said.

He said the election costs could be reduced by not holding elections each year and that “the argument that KPPRD was supposed to go out of business is correct and that was the plan until (the) Civic Center thing came up.”

According to Thompson, the only reason people would run for the KPPRD would be to act as caretaker for the Civic Center. He said choosing the KPPRD would decide whether that entity would stay in operation or would dissolve.

The board did not vote on which option to pursue but at press time a special meeting was scheduled for Feb. 28 to make a decision.


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