OPERATION OF TOWNSHIP COMMUNITY CENTRES UNDER REVIEW
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN nouvelles@eap.on.ca
at 229, 175, and 104 hours. Operation expenses for all of them include essential costs like building insurance and utilities, and the expense of staff to manage the faci- lity during events and do cleanup afterward. “What’s more,” Besner noted in her report, “our community halls are ageing and will require significant major capital investment in the years ahead.” Besner’s report finished with several recommendations aimed at making opera- tions of the township’s community centres more efficient and economical, and also more profitable. The overall goal of the recommendations is to make the community centres self-sufficient and not dependent on municipal budget subsidy. Two recommendations received strong support from council members. One is public consultation on the future of the township’s community centres. The consultation may either involve creation of a citizens advisory committee to provide council with recommendations for future policy, or administration using public mee- tings and other methods to gather input from residents and special interest groups about the future of local community centres. The other recommendation is for township administration to buy the Univerus-Rec room reservation software to handle future reservation and scheduling of both community centres and other sports and recreation facilities in the township. Right now municipal staff deal with requests to rent community centre space and times for public and private events. This involves filing paper rental applications, dealing with requests in person and then doing phone call follow-ups if necessary, making sure all applications are filled out and filed and also making sure that rental deposits and fees are collected. The Univerus-Rec system will also
Community centres are part of the heart of each village in Alfred-Plantagenet Township but the cost to keep them open is starting to worry municipal council and administration. Parks and Recreation Director Manon Besner presented council during its March 19 session with a 32-page report on how much it costs the township to have com- munity centres in each village and how much use each facility receives. The report includes several recommendations intended to make the township’s community centres more self-sufficient and less dependent on any subsidy support through the municipal budget. One of the goals of the township’s rec- reation and culture master plan created in 2020 was to ensure that existing and future community centres be “multi-purpose and multi-use” and their operations are efficient and economical. Director Besner noted that last year’s financial review of the five exis- ting community centres shows a combined operations deficit of $147,371. Total operation expenses for the community centres in Wendover, Curran, Plantagenet, Treadwell, and Lefaivre were $226,996, and the total revenues were $85,625. Alfred did not have an operating community centre during 2023 but will have one in future with the township’s recent purchase of the former Salle de Chevaliers de Colomb. The building on Principal Street in Alfred will see renovation and upgrading for use as a community centre. Wendover’s community centre sees the greatest use at 761 total hours last year. Plantagenet was second at 281 hours. Those in the smaller villages of Lefaivre, Curran, and Treadwell saw the least amount of use
Les centres communautaires du canton d’Alfred-Plantagenet sont le cœur de chaque village de la municipalité, mais chacun d’entre eux est déficitaire. Le conseil municipal et l’administration du canton étudient les possibilités de rendre les centres communautaires plus autosuffisants. (Gregg Chamberlain)
residents to do all applications online, in either French or English, including payments and confirming insurance coverage for an event at the community centre. Cost to install the software could be covered through a provincial subsidy program.
Council members will consider other recommendations in the report about pos- sible changes to rental rates for community centres and the policy on bar service during public and private events held at community centres.
ANNOUNCEMENT
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LEGION WASHER TOSS RAISES $4K FOR HGH
We look forward to serving you! 1717 County Road 18, Ste-Anne-de-Prescott 613-858-4100
On March 17, the Hawkesbury Royal Canadian Legion Branch 472 held a Washer Toss fundraiser tournament for the HGH Foundation, raising more than $3,000. In addition to funds raised during the event, the Legion donated $1,000, bring the total donation amount to $4,325 to be given to the HGH cardiology department. Left to right: Event organizer Yves Paquette, Eve de Grosbois from the HGH Foundation and Yvon Doiron, the Legion’s sports officer and event organizer. (Photo provided)
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