The future of the four arenas/indoor ice surfaces in the Municipality of Grey Highlands was a hot topic throughout 2023.
From a geographic standpoint, Grey Highlands is a very large municipality and it owns and operates arenas in Markdale, Rocklyn, Flesherton and Feversham.
Arenas are expensive to operate and in recent years have become increasingly difficult to fully staff, as Grey Highlands has experienced staff shortages at its arena facilities in recent years. Arenas are also big ticket items when it comes to capital upgrades and repairs – there is no sugar-coating the basic financial reality that arenas cost a lot of money to run.
While arenas may be expensive to operate, they’re also very popular with the public. It is rare to meet any local residents who at some point in their life hasn’t skated, played hockey, curled or attended events/get togethers/theatre productions at one of their local arenas/community centres.
Arenas can easily be described as hubs of community activity.
Throughout 2023, the fate of the municipality’s four arenas was rarely too far from the council table.
The most emotional point of the year came when council considered resolutions to look at the option of decommissioning an ice surface to repurpose an arena building for other recreation needs.
The municipality’s new recreation master plan recommended council take a look at the decommissioning option.
Debate on the option split council.
“I do believe we need to have a serious conversation around ice surfaces,” said Deputy Mayor Dane Nielsen.
Others disagreed.
“Nobody that I talk to wants to close down any ice surfaces. Period,” said Coun. Dan Wickens.
Ultimately council voted 4-3 in favour of examining the decommissioning option, which will be explored in the future.
Just days after the vote, council heard loud and clear at a public open house at the Rocklyn Arena that the community didn’t want arenas to be closed.
A packed house at the meeting sent a clear message: “keep our arenas open.”
The option of considering a decommissioning of an arena can be juxtaposed with council’s actions later in the year to expand the hours of operations at its arena facilities.
A local minor hockey group told council that next year they would be in the position to book more hours in Markdale if the ice time was available. Other potential user groups told council the same thing.
After widespread community pressure, council voted unanimously in favour of hiring extra staff to add 32 hours at the four arenas to ensure that they are open and available seven days a week.
This move came after council rejected the option of using community volunteers to help staff local arenas.
As 2024 dawns, the arena issue is not going to go away for Grey Highlands council. As 2023 ended, council deliberated on a very touchy budget that projected a local tax increase of more than double digits.
The financial pressures of having four arenas and ice surfaces to maintain and operate are not going away and council, at some point shortly, will face a big decision on how to proceed.
