Council approves purchase of curling club building
By COLLIN GALLANT on July 18, 2023.
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com
City Hall may buy the Medicine Hat Curling Club in a deal to help the struggling group get the aging facility back operating, but the larger plan likely includes a newly built city-owned curling club within a long-term recreation plan that is due out this summer.
On Monday, council approved spending $870,000 to acquire the club building on Second Street in the North Flats – as requested by the club this month – as part of an evolving deal to get the facility back operating this coming winter.
But, discussion Monday revolved largely around the longer-term outlook and how the property – next to the vacant Medicine Hat Arena site – and the club, fit into a recreation facility capital plan that’s been underway for two years. It’s largely revolved on a potential twinned arena that might now also involve an attached curling club.
“We do think there are advantages to the city owning the building, all that property in that area, and you’ll see options in the ‘facility for the future’ (report) for that area,” said Brian Stauth, head of the public services department.
This spring, club and city officials went back and forth on a deal to get $1.7 million in repairs completed after the 2022-23 curling season was cancelled due to a brine leak and cooler breakdown.
The $870,000 purchase price would potentially match a grant application being made by the club to the province’s Community Facilities Enhancement Grant.
Club official Cal Hauserman told the News that his group has done a tonne of work raising money, and considers it a valuable contribution toward a new facility.
“I think that everyone agrees curling needs to be part of the facilities for the future and in the presentations that I’ve heard, curling is one of the facilities mentioned,” said Hauserman.
Council approved the purchase and directed staff to negotiate a lease agreement with the club by a 6-1 margin. A third-party evaluation would be done before a purchase agreement is signed.
Coun. McGrogan was the lone vote against. He asked about the timetable, and whether money could be saved by re-assigning another arena in the meantime. He was told the winter sport season was rapidly approaching and ice for hockey, ringette and figure skating is at a premium, and a brand new curling club could be built in five to seven years.
“It looks like there is a vision for something else, and I’m wondering if there are any options for (interim) ice at one of our other arenas,” said McGrogan. “If the stars line up, and we move forward with a solution for the community, what’s the timeline?”
Even with the deal, council heard curling will likely be postponed again this fall as the timeline is more than 30 weeks to install the equipment.
“We’re trying to ensure the viability of curling in Medicine Hat,” said Coun. Robert Dumanowksi.
The curling club owns the building on Second Street in the North Flats, but leased the land on long-term from the city. It’s a common arrangement with several sporting clubs in the city, but one that leaves them unable to secure typical financing because they generally lack collateral.
The motion on Monday would see the city hold the new rinks mats and cooling plant as collateral on any additional loan needed to complete the work.
The acquisition also expands the city’s holdings in the area. A deal to sell the Arena site for condo development fell through this spring when the developer, NewRock, and the city broke off talks on a required update to tax abatement and conditional sale from 2019.
In 2021, the city pressed ahead with $3 million in work to improve utility and road access to the site as part of the agreement, which administrators said would spur redevelopment in the general vicinity.
The idea of building a twin- or quad-arena complex featured prominently in the 2021 municipal election, with Mayor Linnsie Clark winning on a platform of generally protecting community facilities.
Since then, however, a “facilities for the future” report on recreation facilities has been in the background at the public service committee. During several updates, administrators still favoured the twinplex idea to replace two standalone rinks to reduce operating expense.
Clarke was absent at Monday’s meeting.
Under the original curling finance deal agreed to in May, council would provide access to a bridge loan while the club sought out grant money and fundraising dollars, but this month, club officials approached council saying a sale of the building would provide more certainty.
According to a briefing note to council, the risk of not acting could put the future of curling in the city at risk, either by holding the loan entirely or by possibility the club could default on the larger loan.
“A sale or repurposing of the building and land could occur if or when a new curling facility is built,” it reads.
A city evaluation states the building needs $10.3 million in repairs or upgrades over the next 10 years, but $4.3 million relates to slab replacement that wouldn’t be needed if temporary ice mats are used in immediate repairs as planned.
The remainder “could be reviewed so that only critical maintenance is scheduled until the building was decommissioned when a new facility is built,” is states.
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