The price of recreation

“The only questions that remains outstanding, in my mind anyways, is whether or not the $8 million construction project in front of city hall was merited at this time.”

Guelph residents can finally dust off those old skates. City Hall officially opened its outdoor skating rink on Dec. 20, 2011. Located just in front of the administrative offices on Carden St., the facility doubles as a splash pad in the summer months. The skating rink is one of the few remaining outdoor ice pads as many of the communities are unable to maintain ice in the warmer winters.

With an estimated operating cost of $500 to $750 thousand a year, the rink is maintained using a refrigeration system that runs underneath its foundation.  That figure covers the cost of utilities such as power and refrigeration, maintenance of equipment, as well as the cost of security to supervise the area.

“I think its appropriate to gauge whether or not the money spent was cost effective,” said Ward one councillor Bob Bell. “I think we need to compare the capital expenditure and operating costs for that recreation facility compared to our existing recreational facilities.”

The informal nature of the skating rink makes it difficult to determine its level of use, and the overall impact it will have on the community. For Bell, the issue isn’t so much about the total expenditure of the skating rink, but when the city chose to spend the money that has Bell concerned.

“I think the choice of what was selected to go there was the proper one,” said Bell. “The only question that remains outstanding, in my mind anyway, is whether or not the $8 million construction project in front of city hall was merited at this time.”

Currently the City of Guelph is struggling with capital financing, as its debt exceeds $120 million– more than the total amount of taxes collected from the municipality.

The provincial government has a set of criteria for municipalities in which the city’s outstanding debt cannot exceed more than 50 per cent of its tax revenue.

The result is that Guelph may not be able to access credit to finance new projects like the Wellington-Guelph health facility, which may force Guelph to raise taxes.

Bell notes that this debt is largely to do with the construction of the rink because there was little funding from the federal or provincial government, which means that the majority of the $8 million was drawn directly from Guelph.

“The design is good. It fits well into the neighborhood. It’s of an appropriate scope. It seems like it is a success. My only issue with it is that I’m not sure we should have spent the money right now.”

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