Summer Ice Coming To The Plex In Port Elgin
Saugeen Shores | by John Divinski
Town council asks staff for business plan.
Keep those hockey and figure skates sharpened -- year-round ice is coming to The Plex.
At the November 19th draft operating budget sessions, it appears most if not all of council is in agreement with summer ice at the Plex.
The question is whether or not the service will begin next year or in 2021.
Council asked staff to come back with a business plan on the issue which might not come until next February.
Deputy Mayor Don Matheson voted against waiting for a business plan.
He says "The longer you wait to say you're going to do it, the programming and the people who book their time (for summer ice) are going to be gone."
Matheson suggests that staff should look at their budgets and see what it costs to run the arena for 14-weeks.
He says the sooner the numbers are in, the bookings can begin to cover the costs.
Councillor John Rich brought up the idea saying he's getting enquiries as to whether or not there will be summer ice in 2020.
Rich says they could even levy a "summer surcharge" for ice rental rates as long as they don't price themselves out of the market.
Right now there's summer ice in Owen Sound, Walkerton and Goderich.
Wind: N 3 km/h