Night at the Races event held in 2019 by the Team Fishguy Transplant Foundation to raise funds and awareness on organ donation.

Jackie Hutz of Penn Township, who runs the nonprofit group Team Fishguy Transplant Foundation, rented Cooper Hall in Saxonburg's Roebling Park in 2019 for the foundation's first Night at the Races fundraiser. She paid $200 for the hall rental at that time.

Hutz decided to hold another Night at the Races in the fall, but was shocked to discover the fee to rent Cooper Hall had risen to $1,575 for a Saturday rental and an additional $400 if the renter sets up on Friday.

She said she was told that because of her nonprofit status, the fee would likely be reduced by the borough council if she attended a meeting to make the request.

Hutz did so at the August borough meeting, but no motion was made by any of the council members to give her a break on the price.

“We are a small nonprofit,” Hutz said. “We are hoping to raise $10,000 or $12,000 to help transplant patients and their families, and when you put this high cost to rent someplace to have an event, it just handicaps us from the beginning.”

She said she signed the contract for her Nov. 20 event at Cooper Hall with the understanding that council would likely give her a price break.

“I never expected them to say no,” Hutz said. “I expected them to at least lower it. Unfortunately, it did not work out our way.”