Centre Wellington arenas are full for the coming season.
Council heard at its committee meeting on May 5 there is no more room for any more tournaments until another ice pad is built – and all prime time ice has been allotted.
That was part of a report to council’s operation committee by Parks and Recreation Director Andy Goldie.
“Due to current demand and lack of prime time ice, the township will be placing a freeze on any new tournaments [and events] except in September and April,” Goldie said in his report. “All organizations will be limited to their 2007-08 tournament schedule until such time as a new ice pad is made available.”
Goldie noted that in some cases, that policy could prove to become a problem, because there are some groups that do not operate a major tournament. Those include the Fergus and Elora skating clubs, but also the Grand River Mustangs girls minor hockey.
That last group has been operating only a few years, but it has been growing steadily, a fact recognized in Goldie’s report when it reached fourth place in the amount of weekly ice time given to local youth groups. Only Fergus and Elora Minor Hockey and Elora Fergus Ringette were allocated more ice time per week. Those include:
– Fergus Minor Hockey, 60.5 hours;
– Elora Minor Hockey, 39.50 hours;
– Elora Fergus Ringette, 22 hours;
– Grand River Mustangs, 21 hours;
– Fergus Skating Club, 19; and
– Elora Skating Club, 12.25.
The Fergus Devils junior hockey club is allotted 7.5 hours a week and Elora Rocks get 4.5 hours.
“We are 100 per cent booked up for all our facilities,” Goldie said of the coming season.
Prime time ice for minor hockey starts at 6am on weekends and minor hockey use extends into the early mornings of some weekdays. Non prime time ice runs during the daytime hours, but Goldie noted that ice is rented based on 50 minutes an hour, leaving 10 minutes for flooding and ice maintenance. He said most of the major work for that is done during non prime time hours.
Operations committee chairman Walt Visser noted that formulating a policy that spells out how ice time is allotted was a major job, and it took 18 months to accomplish.
Visser said such policies have become very popular in places were ice time is in demand, and “others ask us to use our policy.”
Visser added that all the major user groups were consulted about the policy, and they had no big concerns. He said 80 per cent of the prime time ice is going to youth groups.
Goldie said the township will try to work with such groups as Grand River Mustangs if they want to host tournaments. He noted the girls minor hockey group received 4.5 more hours this year than last, and it is growing.
Councillor Fred Morris pointed out that a tournament freeze is only a short term solution, good for a year or two, and it “has to be a short term solution. We’re going to have to address long term issues.”
Goldie said that is why the township is preparing a master plan for recreation. He said the township is working to encourage people to get more active through the In Motion program, and must be able to provide facilities.
Visser said, “There is only 17 more years left on the mortgage of the Sportsplex in Fergus.”
Council then voted to approve Goldie’s report.
Later in the meeting the issue of arenas again arose, and Goldie said a new ice pad will cost between $4- to $6-million.
Mayor Joanne Ross-Zuj noted that the township is working on its strategic plan for recreation almost immediately. Goldie said he hopes to have some answers by the end of November.
