Council approves five-year curling rink lease

Melissa Strle
Times Reporter

 

At the Sept. 21 Strathmore Town council meeting, Tracy Simpson, recreation coordinator for the Town of Strathmore, spoke on behalf of the Strathmore Curling Club (SCC) in requesting a new five-year lease agreement which would start Jan. 1, 2017.
Simpson also requested that the Strathmore curling rink’s electrical costs be split 50-50 between the SCC and the Town of Strathmore.
SCC financial manager Stu Shaw said the club originally requested a 10-year lease agreement in 2016, which was consistent with the previous lease. However, he noted that the situation changed, necessitating the need for a shorter agreement.
“There was some discussion around uncertainty around growth with Civic Centre requirements and what they might want to do with the curling club, so that is one reason why we took a shorter view of five years,” he said.
Over the past five years, the average electrical cost at the curling rink was $24,000 per year. With 50-50 cost sharing, the town and the SCC would each pay about $12,000 each per year in utility costs.
Approximately $400,000 in capital costs are scheduled over the next five years at the curling rink. These capital costs include replacement of the HVAC unit, makeup air unit, furnaces and the ice plant.
“Approximately half of that is to start rebuilding the ice plant itself and the other half is for building infrastructure, including the HVAC, the furnaces and the makeup air unit,” said Simpson.
Currently, both the SCC and the Town of Strathmore manage and operate the curling rink. However, the SCC absorbs roughly double the amount of operating expenses compared to the Town.
In 2015, the curling club’s operating expenses for the rink were approximately $130,000, while the Town of Strathmore’s operating expenses for the rink equated to approximately $65,000. These amounts are expected to increase.
Town councillors commended the SCC on a job well done in raising needed funds.
“They are trying to get more aggressive in renting the lounge area for things like weddings [and] birthday parties,” said Coun. Pat Fule.
Historically, casino funds have been used to financially support the curling rink. However, casino funding has been dropping since the rural Calgary casino schedule now only occurs every 36 months. This has placed pressure on the SCC to raise needed funds in other ways including sponsorship, advertising, lounge sales and membership dues.
Mayor Michael Ell said he has seen an indication that the SCC is struggling, adding that they’ve done a great job in raising needed funds.
“They’ve been working diligently with new ice makers and volunteers to increase their sponsorship and advertising revenues,” he said. “They’ve almost doubled the amount that comes into the club in just two years.”
At the council meeting, SCC president Craig Koch said current membership at the SCC is approximately 250 members. He noted the junior program is maxed out at 64 juniors in two age groups, and 20 seniors play three times a week.
There are five bonspiels throughout the year including men’s, ladies, mixed and two juniors. In addition, the senior men’s district playdowns will occur in December and, over the next three years, three provincial events will be held at the rink.
Coun. Steve Grajczyk noted, “all of those bonspiels bring a lot of commerce to the community.”
Council motioned to draft a lease agreement to include a five-year term starting Jan. 1, 2017 with an option for an additional five-year term with either partner being able to propose a term extension. There was also a motion to share the electrical charges 50-50.