Local user groups will be hitting the ice with an extra spring in their skate.
The issue of spring ice has finally come to a resolution after Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) staff met with user groups to discuss ice rink operational fees. By paying the nearly $26,000 operational fees and signing commitment contracts in advance of ice use, the user groups were able to secure the extension of spring ice at the Sunshine Coast Arena in Sechelt for an additional six weeks, up to May 20.
At the March 24 corporate and administrative services committee meeting, recreation manager Bruce Bauman was pleased to announce the resolution.
"We sat down and talked about it. Staff and user groups went into it with an understanding of 'here's where we're at'. At the end of the day, there was a willingness on behalf of the users and the regional district to say, 'if we do this, now we're working at this together'," Bauman said.
Jill-Marie Jarvis of the Sunshine Coast Skating Club said she was ecstatic about the decision and the work that went into it.
"I think they came to the table knowing how passionate we were. I think they realized that because the user groups banded together to make this happen, it was in everybody's best interest to make this work," she said.
The Skating Club, one of the spring ice user groups, presented their case at the SCRD's community services meeting on March 17 stating there is enough support from various user groups to warrant spring ice. They also suggested SCRD staff re-evaluate the cost of spring ice after questioning budgetary items such as bank charges and administrative fees. The removal of those fees, they argued, would result in a lower weekly cost for spring ice, one that user groups could afford.
"We felt that the budget was not a true budget that should show true incremental costs. When the SCRD [council] took that all into consideration and asked [SCRD staff] to take a second look at that, it was huge for us," Jarvis said. "We'd known all along that if we could get that number, that we would be able to meet it."
Availability of spring ice has been an on-going issue between user groups for the past few years. SCRD staff has maintained it must recover costs for ice to remain available for user groups. The recent meeting on this matter, between staff and spring ice users, opened the door for discussion and clarification on costs and operations.
"It was interesting because we talked about every budget line that we had talked about previously. We had an explanation about what that was. They challenged us on some of that. It really came down to a point of understanding," Bauman said.
Jarvis added how grateful they were for the extension of spring ice for all user groups as well as the SCRD's support of youth sports.
"It feels good knowing we were all working together," she said.