Haldimand "Councillor Grice states Dunnville Arena is a Want not a Need"

The following article written by Karen Best was the third in a series of stories about the ongoing issue of the Dunnville and Cayuga Arenas.

I must say that I did attend the consultants open house and at no time did this consultant say that Cayuga needed an arena before Dunnville.

So what is very interesting is that the consultant in his report stated that both Dunnville and Cayuga in fact need a new arena. Council and staff have also read this report, yet it looks to me like Dunnville is not in the running for a new arena!

Mayor Trainer in her interview with Karen Best a few weeks ago stated that Cayuga will probably get a new arena before Dunnville. Now Councillor Grice has stated that Cayuga "needs" an arena and Dunnville "wants" an arena.

So my question would be: What has changed since the consultant (that was paid $50,000.00) completed his report?

County seeks community arena fundraising target
Posted By KAREN BEST, CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
Posted 2 days ago

Over the next few weeks, members of arena committees will be asked how much their community can raise for a new facility.

"We thought it was important to sit down with the committees to find out what they feel is reasonable," said Hugh Hanly, Haldimand County general manager of community services.

"We need this information to make proper recommendations to council," he added.
Hanly, leisure services manager Rick Lane and councillors Don Ricker and Lorne Boyko will meet with members of the Dunnville Sport and Leisure Project committee on Jan. 21.

"I'm hoping they have a reasonable sense about what will be realistic for the community to raise,"said Boyko.

Dave Dunham, who chairs the Dunnville group, said he was willing to meet with county staff and the two councillors as long as fundraising was the only item on their agenda.

In February, Hanly will present council a report with recommendations about the Dunnville and Cayuga arenas. Last spring, a consultant recommended new arenas in both towns.

Hanly said each building would cost about $8 million. Financial modelling in the report will be based on what the individual communities feel they can contribute, he added.

Referring to the Caledonia twin pad and library complex, he said the community fundraising group committed to raising $2 million. This amounted to 16 per cent of the $12.4 million project cost.

This kind of fundraising is not done by fish fries and golf tournaments, noted Hanly.

After the first Haldimand County council decided to submit a Caledonia twin pad arena for provincial and federal funding in 2001, the Caledonia group began fundraising in earnest.

Clark Companies donated $1 million and several other corporations made significant donations.

For Hagersville arena improvements, a community group agreed to cover 50 per cent of the costs.

The outcome of upcoming fundraising discussions in Dunnville and Cayuga will probably set a percentage level for community partnerships, said Hanly.

In general, fundraising capacities in the two towns will add clarity to his report recommendations, he added.

A 2005 building audit determined that at least $3 million was required in total for floor, roof and interior and exterior work on the two aging buildings.

At a recent council meeting, Coun. Craig Grice spoke about a new initiative to set aside $109,000 a year for arenas.

"A reserve is the right thing to do," he said. "We know Cayuga needs a new arena and Dunnville wants one."

Both Dunham and Cayuga Think Rink co-chairs Rick Beale and John Metcalfe hope their town is the lucky one.

In a recent interview, Dunham wanted to provide more information related to a Chronicle story in the Jan. 9 edition. He said he was not asked to meet with Caledonia arena committee members last spring. Other Dunnville committee members attended the Caledonia presentation held in June because he was unable to attend.

Dunham also noted that the Maple Creek Leisureplex group, which is incorporated, was further ahead than the Caledonia group when Haldimand County was established eight years ago.

The leisureplex group did not fold and has applied for a charitable number, he added.

In allowing the Caledonia project to go ahead, the new Haldimand County council was not acknowledging what the Maple Creek committee had already done, said Dunham.

He also pointed out that Boyko knew the group was looking at a smaller parcel of privately owned land off Ramsey Drive.

In response to some of Dunham's comments, Boyko said he struck an ad hoc committee shortly after the audit identified expensive repairs for the Dunnville arena. He told members that it could be perceived that he had a conflict of interest so he asked group members to take over. His intention was to measure interest in a new arena and to encourage residents to launch the campaign.

Boyko declined to provide further comment on the property issue. "(Dunham) knows I'm a phone call away for anything," the councillor said.

When asked why he did not promote construction of a new Dunnville arena when the new county was established, Boyko said the Caledonia group was so furthest down the road with their plans. In 2001, Dunnville's arena was in the best condition of all four and Caledonia's rink was in the worst shape, he noted.

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