GUELPH/ERAMOSA — Councillors are supportive of accepting outside help to construct six new volleyball courts at Marden Park so long as there's no future impact on taxpayers.
The proposition comes from Perpetual Motion, a longstanding Guelph company that organizes various sports leagues, that has committed $195,000 to construct six volleyball courts at Marden Park later this year in exchange for exclusive use for programming five days a week, from May to September between 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. and one tournament a year, for the next 10 years.
While councillors did end up eventually approving drafting an agreement with the athletic league at a Guelph/Eramosa council meeting earlier this month, several concerns were raised about who would pick up the bill for maintaining the courts in the long run. Final approval will take place at a future meeting.
When the idea was originally proposed during budget time late last year, the township initially planned on funding the entire project but pivoted after concerns were raised about the potential impact on taxpayers.
Staff said the new agreement will ensure the township doesn't take on the project's financial burden while still providing the community a "valuable new recreational facilities and park improvements."
"At the end of the day we've got an asset meanwhile it's a fiscally responsible model for the applicant so they can recover their money and run that program out of there," said Mayor Chris White.
Through the draft agreement, Perpetual Motion would be responsible for installing, storing, removing and replacing nets each season. The township would be responsible for the ongoing maintenance including sand replenishment as needed, which is anticipated to cost the township $15,000 approximately every five years.
Staff also suggested increasing equipment costs by $500 annually to rototill the courts twice annually.
This was a concern for former beach volleyball player Coun. Steve Liebig who said he believes it's important that no tax dollars go toward the project and is concerned about the facility reaching the end of its lifecycle by the end of the agreement, especially considering it's not a brick-and-mortar facility.
He later asked to restructure the agreement so maintenance costs go "on the back of the company and not on the back of the taxpayer."
"I'm not saying it's a bad idea ... I just want to make sure it doesn't get handed down to the taxpayer," said Liebig.
Parks and facilities manager Jeff Myer said any minimal operational expenses like routine maintenance would be captured under the township's current operational budget and staff are putting money in a reserve so that the township can replenish the sand "as needed."
Myer said the reserve money will be user-generated since the township is planning on renting the courts for $15 per hour per court outside of Perpetual Motion's programming.
"We're going to try and and rent it as much as possible to try and recoup as much of our operational cost, having said that it would be nice to have a court or two allowed for the general public to use those courts, that would be the ideal situation," said Myer. "Not to say that every court would be available to every person that comes onsite but ideally there is just one court we can designate to public hours similar to the Rockwood Tennis Club."
Weather-dependent, court construction is anticipated to take about a month with a proposed opening date of May 1.
The agreement is proposed to commence March 21 and remain in effect for 10 years, with a renewal option on a year-to-year basis.
Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.