For sale?

Should the County sell the arena and community centre in Wellington?

It is not the old DukeDome proposed to go on the selling block but rather the shiny new Wellington and District Community Centre, opened for just over a year.

“Should we have it appraised and consider selling it?” asked Dianne O’Brien, one of three councillors in Ameliasburgh.

Her comments came after it was revealed the facility cost nearly $100,000 more to operate than its managers had anticipated in last year’s budget by Recreation, Parks and Culture staff last spring. The bulk of this budget disaster is a $92,000 miss on utility costs— which Treasurer James Hepburn didn’t mask, calling it “grossly underestimated.”

RPC staff budgeted $167,000 for utilities for the new facility. But when the year was done, utility costs in Wellington had soared to $241,000—44 per cent more than had been budgeted just a few months earlier.

Much of council’s anguish last week, focused on the fiasco in Wellington, but overlooked the fact that the RPC Department had no better luck at estimating utility costs for the Picton arena—a facility it has operated for many years—underestimating utility cost there by 20 per cent.

Councillors were apoplectic.

“I’m in shock over the utility costs,” said Brian Marisett, councillor for Picton. “This was a new, efficient building with advanced electricity management systems. It costs more than $90,000 to operate than the older building in Picton. Shouldn’t we have a talk with the engineers? Did we get the wrong energy management system?

Alec Lunn was staggered by the cost of wages and benefits which, when tallied together between the two facilities, exceeded $416,000.

“What has happened here?” asked the Hiller councillor. “How many people work at these facilities?” RPC Comissioner Barry Braun said his department has four full-time arena and community centre staff. He also clarified the arenas manager’s salary is contained in this amount. Braun said that for a time he was restricted from hiring students to work at the facilities, but that that restrictions had been lifted.

“We will start using students more,” said Braun.

As to the utility bills, Braun didn’t have an answer.

“It doesn’t look good,” the commissioner observed feebly. “There were mechanical issues and issues with water use. I believe we will be a lot more efficient in 2012.”

But Braun failed to offer council any evidence why 2012 would be any better than 2011.

He did say his department will spend more money this year in marketing the facility.

“We need to get people through the door,” said Braun. “We have a marketable product. We are contacting local organizations about hosting regional events. It’s the only way we can offset our costs.

“Our intention is to operate this facility as efficiently as we can,” offered Braun.

Some councillors want the arena’s users to pay more for using the facility.

Janice Maynard said that, notwithstanding an agreement signed just last spring, council should renegotiate its deal with the Wellington Dukes.

“Something has to give,” said the councillor from Ameliasburgh.