SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A favorite pastime for some San Diegans may be put in jeopardy as the city is planning to charge for parking in Balboa Park. This is the city making changes to try to solve its budget deficit.
Concentration and cards are a perfect combination for mastering the art of bridge at the Redwood Bridge Club in Balboa Park.
But soon, a lot of these folks may not continue their game and it's not because they don't like each other.
"I emailed Mayor Gloria," said Deborah Hill, a bridge player. "I even went to the city council meeting that we appeared and I spoke to them, basically saying the same thing. But an advantage this is for seniors. The only thing I’ve heard back from Mayor Gloria was that they were busy and they couldn’t get back to me."
The problem: parking, and the changes slated for Balboa Park.
Last month, the city council okay'd charging for parking at Balboa Park and adding metered parking to nearby streets.
Right now, about 60 people on average come to the bridge club every day. But while a price for one game is $12, adding parking fees are going to add a whole nother expense.
"If they’re here for four hours, that’s adding another ten dollars for every visit," said David Walters, the club manager. "And I don’t know anybody who can afford paying ten dollars for parking on a regular basis when income, seniors are on limited income. They’re not generating cash like when they were working."
Walters said there are a little over 350 members, but when he surveyed the group, almost half of them said they wouldn't be able to afford the parking fees.
He has an immediate solution that he hopes the mayor will hear out.
"What we’re asking for is the mayor to consider selling us parking permits that we can use to distribute to our members," said Walters. "And this we feel is a win win for the city, because they’re looking to generate revenue and they’re not going to be able to generate revenue from the meters if they drive us all out of the park."
Hill said the card game brings people together - people using critical thinking skills while having a good time.
"Because once I got established coming here, and it’s such a supportive environment, people are nice to you, they’re not jumping on you if you make the wrong play. So that really is encouraging for us," said Hill. "And I know that I’m going to continue to come."
