The Culver City Garden Club is leaving the place it has called home for nearly 60 years.
In a letter to the Culver City City Council, club officials stated that a nine-fold user fee increase at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium set for 2012 would force the club to relocate. For several years, the city has been in the process of redesigning its relationship with organizations that make use of city property. This new structure will affect all groups that seek to use the building.
The Garden Club is the longest-standing resident in the building and was assigned the most favorable possible Category B because it is a city-based nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, charges no admission for events or activities and is staffed entirely by volunteers. Since receiving the notice, members voted against spending more than $9,000 for the annual shows in the auditorium and monthly Garden Room meetings.
The club, which boasts more than 100 members, completed its 58th Annual Garden Show in August and more than 500 people attended. Over the years, it has hosted about 700 free, open-to-the-public meetings, featuring informative presentations on gardening, plants, environmental issues and the care of the planet – the Culver City Garden Club’s mission.