Times-Advocate, 1987-01-21, Page 3Times -Advocate, January 21, 1987 Page 3
Members suggest res board eould be dissolved
Despite suggestions they may be
living on borrowed time and soon
disbanded, it was business as usual
for the South Huron rec centre board,
Tuesday.
The first order of business was to
name officers and that was ac-
complished only after some
references to the possible short-term
nature of those jobs.'Jim Workman
was the only one nominated for chair-
man and said he was not willing to
stand, but later relented.
"It may only be for one more
meeting", facilities manager Cam
Stewardson explained and made
reference to the prospect that Exeter
council would be abolishing the board.
Workman agreed the position may
not soon exist and the board decided
to leave all officers and committee
structures intact and defer any
changes until such time as Exeter
council advises what the future is for
the board.
Dorothy Chapman raised a ques-
tion pertaining to the time of arrival
of township grants, and after being
advised a couple didn't arrive until
the end of the year, suggested the
matter be turned over to the finance
committe for a recommendation.
She questioned why the board
should have to carry the financing
throughout the year until the grants
are received.
However, facilities manager Cam
Stewardson explained that the grants
were only donations and the board
could only request earlier payment
and could not force the -townships to
do so.
Usborne representative Pat Down
suggested it was a matter that should
be left to the councils to decide.•
Workman agreed with that, but
said it was important that the coun-
cil representatives on the board.
understood the situation and noted it
could be a real problem for the board
if Exeter also decided to make town
funds available only at the end of the
year.
A letter was then tabled from the
Exeter Minor Hardball Association
explaining that the group had run in-
to-financia roblems and would be
unable to pay their ou andtng ac= -
count of $150. That was the total
amount the group had been charged
for the use of the grounds during the
past season.
Workman said the board could ap-
prove a year's grace in payment as
the group suggested, or he facetious-
ly noted, the board could ask them
for their uniforms or other assets.
Mrs. Down suggested that such
groups should be asked for their fees
up -front this coming year and Ken
Oke add there was a fine line in that
it was di • ult to be too tough, but it
CORRECTION
In last week's report on the wages
for part time employees in Stephen
township in the roads office and arena
departments the amount should have
read $6.50 per hour. Sorry.
What a lot of people are saving for
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was also necessary or other groups
would follow suit.
The board decided to advise the ball
group that payment would be ex-
pected as soon as registration funds
for the new season are collected in
May.
The lengthiest debade of the night
centred around the rates to be set for
the new year for•all groups and Mrs.
Down noted that the councils were ex-
pecting that all adult programs would
be self-supporting, even to the extent
of the inclusion of administration and
facility costs.
However, rec director Lynne Far-
quhar said it would be necessary to
wait for the cost analysis project to be
completed so figures would be
available to help reach a decision on
whether such prograpis could be
operated feasibly on a self-supporting
oasis.
She said board members and the
councils were going to get a surprise
when those figures were tabulated
because it could result in many adult
programs being priced out of
existence. • ,
The rec director explained that ad-
ding facility costs to the trim -a -size.
program, for instance, would in-
crease registration by $12 per person
and the local program was already
priced much higher than similar pro-
grams being offered at other area
centres.
When Mrs. Down stood steadfast in
noting that the councils expected
adult programs to be self-sufficient,
Miss Farquhar said it would appear
necesary to present the councils with
.the figures before adopting sun a
policy.
Facilities committee ceairperson
Kathy Whiteford added that it may
boil down to a question of whether
recreation programs were to be
.offered.
Mrs. Chapman interjected that it
• was impossible to set charges at the
present because the costs had not
been determined and that was why
the cost analysis was being
conducted.
"We could save a lot of money by
closing the front door," Ken Oke
interjected.
Mrs. Down said the response she
receives from her council when adult
programs are discussed, is that other
people pay the full shot for such ac-
tivities as curling and adults engag-
ed in rec center programs should be
Mayor allays fears
"I don't know where they got the
notion", Mayor Bruce Shaw said this
week after being questioned as to why
members of the South Huron rec cen-
tre board and some staff had made
predictions at their Thursday meeting
that council may move to dissolve the
board.
Shaw admitted that council had ex-
plored several possibilities in the
discussion 'over recreation and the
position • of the three neighboring
councils.
"The rec board will continue to
operate as it does at the present," he
said after Monday's council session.
expected to do the same. '
The rec director then noted that if
the fees are excessive and the pro-
grams unattractive to participants,
there would be a considerable loss of
revenue.
She said that revenue from karate
is about 51,500, but charging the full
hall rate would add 53,000 to the
amount registrants would have to pay
and if the program was dropped, the
revenue would be lost despite thefact
the actual cost is low because the
facility is there and not being used.
The debate ended when Workman
commented that it was impossible to
snap one's fingers and get the actual
costs involved and that was why the
analysis was being conducted.
The facilities committee will meet
early next month to start' work on the
new rate
structure.
• Our warehouse is overloaded
• New merchandise arriving daily
I