NORTH BATTLEFORD - The lease agreement between Twin Rivers Curling Club and the city of North Battleford has been renewed for another three year term.
The term runs retroactive to January 1, 2023 and runs to December 31, 2025. Under the deal Twin Rivers pays an annual lease fee of $1 a year for Northland Power Curling Centre.
Twin Rivers Curling Club has had its share of financial issues over the years in operating at Northland Power Curling Centre, with their major challenge being the costs associated with operating the venue during the six months after the curling season is over.
Councillor Len Taylor told council Monday that the curling club’s volunteers were “committed to increasing the revenues of the curling rink that go beyond six months of curling and fees attached to it.”
He pointed to events such as the recent Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations annual meeting held at the Northlands Power Curling Centre facility, which attracted Indigenous leaders from across the province. Taylor also pointed to Twin Rivers hosting an annual Steak and Lobster Night.
“According to Doug (Fehr of Twin Rivers Curling Club), it was a huge success this year… They generated more than $12,000 in profit,” said Taylor. “So they’re doing all they can to find ways to ensure that the club is able to cover costs when there’s not curling in the rink.”
However Councillor Bill Ironstand raised concerns he heard from the community about the city’s subsidizing of the facility.
He pointed to comments such as “‘What are we subsidizing the curling rink for?’ ‘Why don’t they increase costs to their membership’… This is beyond a couple of times a week, people talk to me about that one.”
In response, Taylor said the curling club would be happy to open its books to any member of the public. Taylor added the curling club is not being subsidized by the city.
“The curling is 100 per cent paid for by curlers in the building. The city provides some maintenance services in the building. And then there are six months of the year when the curling club tries to manage a large, empty building on behalf of the city, and it’s during those challenging times that require some additional support from the community. The curling club subsidizes the building, not the other way around.”
Fehr, who spoke at the meeting, added “we are paying about $3,000 to $5,000 per month in power costs in the months when we’re not actively curling.”
He said the club has looked at increasing fees, but pointed out there is a “break point” at which revenue gained from increases is negated by a loss of curlers.
“We are very cognizant of the fact that a high percentage of our curlers are seniors on fixed incomes, and we’re trying to keep curling affordable for groups that are disadvantaged, and for juniors to enter the sport,” Fehr said.
In the end, city council approved the new lease agreement at their meeting.
