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Published - Nov 5th, 2009
By Francis Baker
Centre Wellington is looking for grant money to help buy new bleachers that could be used for community and sports events.
After a long debate Oct. 26, councillors voted to apply for Southern Ontario Development Program funding to replace the current old, deteriorating bleachers at the Community Sportsplex, and buy a further set of 11 portable aluminum bleachers.
Councillors decided not to apply for money for a portable stage as well.
The grant program is another fast-track application process. It was announced in mid-October and applications have to be in by the end of December, but parks and recreation director Andy Goldie suggested it would be better to get the application in early.
If the grant application is successful, the township would have to kick in half the cost, and much of the discussion was over balancing that expense with the amount of use the extra bleachers and portable stage would get.
Ward 3 Councillor Robert Foster weighed the $650,000 total cost of the replacement bleachers, new bleachers, and stage, against the rent the Fergus Truck Show, Scottish Festival, and Fall Fair pay for similar items - about $29,000.
"I just want to focus on the investment decision," Foster said, pointing out it's hard to make a capital investment decision without figures on possible returns - which Goldie said he hadn't worked out.
But other councillors pointed out it wasn't a good comparison, since the current bleachers have to be replaced and money has already been set aside for that, the township would only pay half the total cost, and there could be other rental income from the new items.
Goldie said if the township got the extra bleachers and a stage there would be some kind of rental fee set up that local groups could afford, so they could use them. But he hasn't investigated the possible fees in detail.
He sees it as investing in the community, providing equipment that groups can use to expand events, drawing more people to activities and the area.
"Can I tell you we have a business case that will pay them off in five years? No," he said.
But Ward 4 Councillor Fred Morris laid out some figures quickly, based on rent that's currently being paid by major events for similar equipment. "If you want a business case, in five years everything is bought and paid for," he said.
Ward 2's Kirk McElwain agreed the possibility of revenue made buying the equipment attractive.
He considered replacing the current bleachers "a no-brainer." Liability costs if someone was injured would far exceed the township's cost for replacing the units.
Rent to cover part of the cost and looking at further revenue to break even in 10 years would be satisfactory, he said.
In his report to council, Goldie states the township has 31 steel and wood bleacher units that seat about 1,500. They've "undergone many repairs to keep them useable" - years of use and moving units that weren't built to be moveable have damaged them. Plus, they don't meet current Building Code standards.
The truck show, Scottish Festival and fall fair use all 31 units; two also bring in mobile bleachers to add 1,200 to 1,800 seats to events, Goldie writes. More than a dozen smaller community events use some of the bleachers.
"The key in the purchase of any new bleachers is that they are aluminum for long term durability and that they are portable and mobile," he states.
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