By Teresa L. Benns
SAGUACHE— A group of Saguache seniors met with county commissioners Tuesday afternoon to try and save their meeting place, after the county discovered they were not covered by liability insurance and told them they could not meet any longer without the insurance.
Seniors said at the meeting they cannot afford the insurance premium and are looking into grants.
Commissioners have been discussing taking over the current place seniors meet, in the Saguache Public Health Building, for additional public health space. Seniors recently received funds to carpet and refurbish their meeting room but have not been able to meet since March because the furnace is out and it is too cold for seniors to gather there.
The lack of a meeting place is also affecting the senior lunch program, seniors advised commissioners.
The county had been supplying space heaters but seniors’ spokesperson Carla Quintana says the heaters cannot be used because they blow fuses, owing to antiquated wiring in the building.  Commissioners and interim County Administrator Wendi Maez said the county hopes to have the furnace in the building fixed or replaced by fall.
Quintana’s group was formed in January and there are other senior groups that operate out of the social services building, Social Services Director Linda Warsh said. Commissioners suggested the two groups merge or the other group bring forward a proposal, a memorandum of understanding and pay for liability insurance as well to form their own group.
Commissioners and County Attorney Ben Gibbons told Warsh that because the groups meeting at the building are often there after the building is closed they must surrender all keys and new locks must be placed on the back door.
The sales tax grant recently received by the seniors to pay for remodeling and carpet replacement could be reassigned to pay for insurance, commissioner Jason Anderson explained, because this has been done in the past, so would not be a departure from historic use of the funds. Commissioners would need the group to submit a detailed proposal to repurpose the funds, Anderson explained, then could consider the request.
They also encouraged seniors to do some insurance shopping first and determine what the liability insurance would cost. Rick McCormick, who sat in on the discussion, suggested commissioners use marijuana excise tax money to help pay for the insurance. He pointed out that most of the senior women in the room had lived in the county all their lives.
Attorney Gibbons commented he was “not sure we can do that” and the question went unanswered.
J. Anderson said that while the county is “invested” in its seniors and does not want to see services for them go away, the insurance has to be purchased. One senior asked if the county would postpone considering the senior meeting place as future public health space until the matter is resolved.
Anderson said right now the BoCC is only “gathering information,” but can make no guarantees.