The fate of a spring ice session at Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) facilities now rests in the hands of the Sunshine Coast Minor Hockey Association and the Sunshine Coast Skating Club.
SCRD board directors voted last Thursday (Feb. 26) to tell the groups the ice would remain in from April 12 to May 24 if both groups could guarantee $19,013 in funds as well as a promise to pay for any debt the facilities incur in that time.
This would leave the two groups responsible for 75 per cent of the operating costs of the facilities for six weeks. The ice would remain open to private rentals and public skating as well.
The facilities may run into debt in that time if revenue from public skating and skate shop sales is less than what it was last year.
Jill-Marie Jarvis, president of the skating club, said she does not agree with the regional district's figures but feels she has no choice. "I've been told this is a 'take it or leave it' deal," Jarvis said. "The ice is imperative to us and we feel like we don't have any other choice but to agree. It looks like it would be a go for us, but we're nervous about doing it at the same time."
The club's executive board members were expected to vote on the issue on Wednesday night.
Chris Barth, ways and means director for the minor hockey association, said his group was set to vote on the issue as well, and he anticipated a deficit based on the SCRD's numbers. Barth said if public skating revenues fall as much as public swimming revenues did after the Sechelt Aquatic Centre had been open for a year, there was no way to avoid the debt.
"I've done some number crunching myself, so I expect there to be a net deficit of $3,000 to $5,000 at the very least," Barth said. "We're going to have to try to raise that through some fundraising."
