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Galleon
Curling club seeks solution to local rink
Kevin Laliberte
Smoky River Express
Faced with the difficult decision of determining what to do about McLennan curling rink, the local curling club is being urged to sharpen its pencil and head back to the drawing board to hammer out a plan for the future of the recreational facility.
“Curlers in McLennan need to grab the reins on this issue by sitting down together to come up with a solution,” says Don Regier, president of the McLennan Local Recreation Board.
The statement falls on the heels of last week’s regular monthly meeting at the town conference centre where recreational representatives from various organizations within the community gathered to discuss options for the deteriorating curling rink.
Those options fall under two possible scenarios: (1) come up with the financial resources to cover the expense of the estimated $400,000 in repairs needed to bring the aging facility up to snuff, or (2) pursue the construction of a new curling rink complex at a price tag of roughly $1.4 million.
The first option could be achieved through a number of potential financial sources. They include submitting an application to the province for matching funding assistance under the Community Facilities Enhancement Program and pooling it together with municipal government support on behalf of the town (approximately $50,000).
Another 11 per cent would be derived from the M.D. of Smoky River 130 through its regional recreation funding initiative.
Donations of labor and equipment could also be used to help meet the matching component of the grant funding.
The cash injection would be used to address several high-priority deficiencies at the municipally-owned curling rink.
That includes lateral movement of the exterior building buttresses, the need for new insulation above the ice surface, new lighting, heating, plumbing and kitchen requirements, in addition to the replacement of the condenser, header pipe and compressor – key components of the facility which failed on three separate occasions earlier this year.
The upgrade work proposal, while holding a certain degree of merit, was deemed illogical in the eyes of several recreation board representatives, including Francis Lessard who questioned the feasibility of sinking cash into a seemingly endless money pit which appears to have surpassed its expiration date in terms of age.
“The question that needs to be asked here is whether it’s worth it to spend $400,000 on a facility which has definitely seen better days. It’s like an old car… you can only put so much money into it before you reach the point when it needs to be replaced,” he pointed out.
Collette Whelen chalked the present dilemma up to poor recreational planning on behalf of the municipality over the years.
“It’s really unfortunate that the town (over the years) has lost sight of the fact that there’s another important recreational facility in the community,” she stressed.
Lessard responded by saying he felt it was more or less an issue about the municipality not having deep enough pockets in recent years.
“I think it’s safe to say that a lot of our facilities have been neglected in recent years, not out of spite but because the town didn’t have the financial resources in place,” he says.
Shedding a different light on the situation was Leo Giroux, who questioned whether taxpayers would be willing to absorb the expense of a new curling rink which is used by a relatively small percentage of the community each year.
“I’m just not sure if taxpayers will be receptive to the idea of shelling out that kind of money for a facility which is used for only a few months out of the year by a small group of individuals, especially considering that there’s two other curling rinks in the region,” Giroux says.
Kevin Laliberte, curling club representative on the board, took that comment one step further by pointing out the waning interest levels for curling this year.
“Our numbers this year were consistent with previous years (roughly 50 curlers). The difficulties we experienced were in late February and early March when curling attendance for our regular weekly draws began to drop off sharply,” he explained. “I support the construction of a new curling rink, but we need a firm commitment from curlers in the community in order to justify this kind of an expense.”
He also suggested the possibility of holding a public plebiscite to get an accurate gauge of the feeling of residents in the community in relation to the cost of a new rink.
Mayor Michele Fournier, the municipal rep on the board, says the more recreation facilities the town has to offer the better off the community will be in terms of future growth potential.
“Recreational facilities are key components of any successful community regardless of where you reside. They’re one of the first services families typically take into consideration when choosing where to live.”
She also addressed concerns of the curling rink becoming a money pit.
“The curling club’s dedicated a lot of time and money to the rink over the years and doesn’t appear to be getting anywhere,” she says.
Regier rounded out the conversation surrounding the possibility of a new curling rink by stating “it’s beyond the scope of the recreation board to decide how to spend taxpayer dollars.”
He left the hot potato in the hands of the curling club, suggesting that the organization set up a meeting as soon as possible to come up with a solution.
“The curling club executive and its members need to carry out some serious planning and brainstorming initiatives in relation to the long-term future of curling in McLennan,” Regier.
Laliberte was asked to relay that message to curling club co-presidents Rita L’Heureux and Barry Whelen.
A meeting date by the club to discuss the issue in greater detail has yet to be established, but is expected to take place in the very near future.
That meeting will likely include representation from the town and recreation board, which plans to present a draft proposal for the relocation of the curling rink along the east side of the arena at this week’s town council meeting.
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