A request for the township to provide facilities rent-free for the 2014 Mapleton Rodeo has been withdrawn by organizers.
On Jan. 28, council agreed to waive rental fees for the use of the PMD Community Centre for the 2014 Drayton Kinsmen Farm Show held April 2 and 3.
However, a decision on a request for a similar fee waiver for the Kinsmen and the Moorefield Optimists for the Mapleton Rodeo was deferred, pending further discussions between the town and the clubs.
At the April 22 meeting, CAO Patty Sinnamon advised council the request to waive fees for the rodeo had been withdrawn.
Also at the meeting, Sinnamon presented a report on hall rental fees and charges which addressed the topic of requests for fee waivers.
“As council is well aware, there is a cost to operating our recreation facilities. As a general rule, recreation facilities in rural communities generally operate in the red,” she states.
Sinnamon pointed out township revenue that would have been generated from the farm show amounts to about $5,621 for five days of full hall rental (including set up and take down time). Staffing cost for three days was $3,025.
“Additional expenses in operating the facility such as heat and hydro have not been calculated, but should be taken into consideration,” Sinnamon notes in the report.
The report also indicates hall rental at the PMD Arena Complex for the six days (including preparation time) allotted for use by the Palmerston Hospital Foundation Starlight Gala on May 24, which was also waived by council, would have totaled $6,476.
The estimated rental for the four days to host the rodeo at the Maryborough Community Centre is $2,147.
Sinnamon estimates wage costs alone for the latter two events would be $2,400 for the gala and $1,100 for the rodeo.
Mayor Bruce Whale noted the township faces a “never-ending cycle” of requests for free facility usage from organizers of fundraisers. While council tries to accommodate service groups, he added, “at the same time we’re trying to balance how much we should be trying to recover.”
Councillor Mike Downey suggested the issue would be eliminated “if you have a policy and you don’t deviate from that policy.
“Set your fees and just stick to the fees, because you don’t ever stop it otherwise,” he added.
“Is there an actual policy?” asked councillor Neil Driscoll.
“The policy is the rates,” Sinnamon responded.
Moorefield hall rates
Also at the April 22 meeting, council dealt with concerns from the Moorefield United Church over a proposed fee increase for use of the Maryborough Community Centre, which the group uses for community suppers.
In her report, Sinnamon noted users felt there was a significant increase from the 2013 rate. In 2013, the rate charged was $201, including HST. If the new hourly rate were charged, they would be charged $335 for seven hours.
Groups using the facilities for fundraising dinners would require at least that number of hours for preparation and hall setup, Sinnamon explained in the report. The rate for a full day otherwise, would be $330.
After reviewing the changes, staff proposed a flat rate of $225 plus HST ($254.25 total) for both the PMD and Maryborough Community Centre hall rental, which would apply for Monday to Friday rentals.
“It should be noted that we do not charge for renting the hall the day before the event,” Sinnamon stated.
A motion to accept the report passed unopposed.
