Advance notice requesting the use of the Arthur Optimist pavilion has raised a thorny – and as yet unaddressed – issue for Wellington North councillors.
Council recently received a request from Cliff Heffernan for the use of the pavilion for this year’s Terry Fox Run on Sept. 19.
“With your permission we are hoping to have the starting/finish station at the Optimist pavilion, in the Arthur Ball Park,” said Heffernan. “In the past we have paid a rental fee for the park use. At the same time, council has given us a donation towards the run.”
Heffernan asked that the council consider including the rental cost into the township budget.
“This would help keep our cost to a minimum so as to forward all monies raised to the Terry Fox Foundation.” Heffernan noted the foundation “is encouraging us to use volunteer facilities and people as much as possible.”
Mayor Mike Broomhead wondered if the letter came to council as a result of a misunderstanding.
He said the rental fee still needs to be charged because it is part of the recreation budget. The donation from council, he said, is to cover that cost.
Councillor Bob Mason said he questions why there would even be a rental fee charged for this.
“There was an event held there recently where there was no discussion of a rental fee period. I think this event is just as important as that one.”
Mason said he saw no reason to charge pavilion rental for such events.
Broomhead said the pavilion may have been used, “but it wasn’t rented out.” The event in question was the recent Christmas tree burning celebration.
“There was still no fee charged,” Mason said. He added, “There was no waiving of a fee; there was no fee discussion at all.”
Councillor Chaulk said he believed it was Heffernan and his group was trying to take a proactive approach by providing the request early. He said last year, “The request came in right down to the wire. That’s why he’s trying to get it in early this year.”
Broomhead said fees are not supposed to be waived, although council has been known to provide donations to groups and or events to cover or at least offset some of the cost.
“We don’t waive fees for anything in recreation,” he said.
“Recreation also doesn’t give out facilities for free … yet we did,” Mason said of the Christmas tree event.
Heffernan’s request will go to the finance committee to be discussed with other grants and donations as part of the budget process.
