7 months ago
SACRAMENTO, CA - When administrators of Sacramento's "4th R" child care program learned the Natomas High School pool would be closed to recreational swimming because of budget cuts, they moved quickly to find an alternative.
They may not have realized that by renting the nearby facilities at the Club at Natomas Park, they would reignite a contentious debate over tenants' rights.
As first reported by News10 last December, the Natomas Park Master Association prohibits renters from using the clubhouse, fitness room or any of the three swimming pools.
But News10 has confirmed 4th R program will be renting space at the Club for two hours each Thursday afternoon beginning this week. Roughly 60 children enrolled in the program at Heron School are expected to swim at the Club, according to one 4th R administrator.
Tristan Godt, the president of the Natomas Park Master Association, told News10 the 4th R children will actually be coming to the Club as guests of one of the homeowners, who rented a number of cabanas for them.
The Club is still off limits to tenants.
"I'm livid," said Liesa Wells of Sacramento Delta Property Management, whose firm manages about 500 rentals in Natomas Park.
Wells said she lost two tenants this week because of the association's discriminatory policy. "They continue to segregate an entire class of people," she said.
Some comments posted on the community blog Natomas Buzz have been so inflammatory that one 4th R administrator said she's seeking guidance from her supervisor on whether to cancel the Club swim sessions.
Written by George Warren gwarren@news10.net
Previous News10 story:
Natomas Renters Cry Foul Over Clubhouse Lockout
12/30/2008
