BRUCEDALE – Guelph/Eramosa Township is moving ahead with a plan to have six beach volleyball courts installed at Marden Park, but the hope is it won’t cost taxpayers a thing.
“I just want to make sure no tax money from Guelph/Eramosa goes to support a mostly Guelph league,” said councillor Steven Liebig.
His comments came during the Feb. 18 council meeting after township manager of parks and facilities Jeff Myer presented a proposal that would see Perpetual Motion Entertainment and Gaming financing the construction of the new facility to the tune of $195,000 in exchange for exclusive rights to prime hours for the courts for a period of 10 years.
The Guelph-based organization, which runs a variety of adult sports leagues, had approached the township in late 2023 looking for more facilities for beach volleyball.
But when a proposal to build six courts in Marden at a cost of $250,000 was presented as part of the 2024 budget process, the reception at council was lukewarm at best.
“The initial proposal brought some concerns about the township having to fork (over) the cost of installing these volleyball courts,” Myer said.
So the township and Perpetual Motion went “back to the drawing board” to come up with a new plan.
That plan will see Perpetual Motion cover the costs of the courts, including excavation, drainage, sand, posts and nets.
In return, Perpetual Motion would get to use the courts five days a week, between, 6:30 and 8:30pm, from May to September, and will get to host one tournament per season.
“They would cover the full cost of the volleyball courts at Marden Park, and in return they would receive about 10 year’s rentals free,” said Myer.
“At the end of the day, the municipality will own these facilities.”
Council eventually agreed to support the drafting of an agreement between the township and Perpetual Motion, but not before councillors questioned the cost implications for taxpayers.
Liebig, who confessed to being a former beach volleyball player, worried that at the end of the 10-year period, the courts would be at the end of their life cycle.
“In the meantime, we have expenses,” he added, referencing the estimated cost of $15,000 every five years to top up the sand on the courts.
“I just don’t want to add more costs to the taxpayer,” he said.
Liebig also pointed out the asset the township would be acquiring is not a brick-and-mortar building, but something much less permanent.
Mayor Chris White posed the question to Myer: “In 10 years, are we going to get a facility that needs a complete revamp on the taxpayers’ dime?”
Myer said the cost to township staff to operate the facility would be minimal, noting that routine maintenance could be handled by existing parks staff.
“We won’t have to have any new staff to support these,” he said, adding the township would put money into a reserve to cover future maintenance.
Perpetual Motion owner Dave Kelly suggested the facility could also generate rental income to the township, if the township decides to charge for use of the courts.
“There’s a demand for sure,” said Kelly.
The township would try to rent the courts out as much as possible, said Myer, suggesting $15 per hour per court would be in line with what other municipalities and private facilities charge.
Councillor Mark Bouwmeester called the agreement “a good deal,” but said Liebig raised some good points. He asked that the agreement be tightened up to get a clearer sense of the municipality’s costs.
“The question is, can you get any revenue out of this?” Bouwmeester said.
Councillor Corey Woods also seemed skeptical.
“I’ve never had a single phone call from a resident saying ‘I want beach volleyball,’” Woods said.
He questioned why the initial ask at budget time was $250,000, but the current proposed cost to perpetual motion is only $195,000.
Meyer said the original proposal had included tree planting, park signage and design and tendering costs and a project contingency that have been removed.
“Perpetual Motion would not need to go through the same tendering process,” he said.
In answer to a question from councillor Bruce Dickieson, Myer said depending on weather, the courts are expected to take about a month to build and the hope is to open the facility on May 1.
Noting the project’s potential to be cost-neutral, Dickieson pointed out “we put play structures in parks and they don’t make revenue.”
The mayor noted council will get an opportunity to approve the agreement at a later date once the details have been ironed out.
“Today we’re just saying go ahead and strike an agreement,” White said.
