Duane Hicks
The town will help the Fort Frances Lakers make the 2015 Dudley Hewitt Cup a reality here next spring.
Council last night approved a donation in the amount of $5,500 to offset the costs to rent the ice surface at Ice For Kids Arena, as well as the auditorium and kitchen, for the April 28-May 2 tournament, which will crown the Central Canada Junior ‘A’ champion.
Council also agreed to:
•provide town souvenirs/memorabilia (estimated cost $120);
•provide use of the IFK lobby for kiosks (booths) in accordance with municipal bylaws; and
•agreed the mayor will be present at the opening ceremonies.
Larry Patrick, chair of the organizing committee, had spoken to council about the event and the Lakers’ requests on Sept. 22.
The Community Services executive committee, with input from the Administration and Finance executive committee, then reviewed the requests.
In the written recommendation to council, Community Services manager Jason Kabel noted that “it is misleading to assess the request purely on the monetary value associated with the rental fees as presented due to the fact that there would not typically be revenue generated at this time of year for ice rental as ice would normally be uninstalled.”
“It is necessary to also factor in the expense to keep the ice installed in the IFK as a variable, not simply the potential lost revenue,” he added.
The estimated cost of keeping the IFK ice installed at this time of year for one week is about $2,500-$3,000.
This was done this past spring for the Lakers before their trip to the 2014 Dudley Hewitt Cup.
The request for 2015 would include two weeks of IFK expenses over a typical year when the Lakers don’t make it as far as the Dudley Hewitt Cup, thus bringing the potential expenses for maintaining the ice to $5,000-$6,000.
Kabel noted an extension to the ice season also provides opportunities for other parties to utilize the surface, and the Community Services division will try to capitalize to generate additional revenue.
Town council previously has supported major hockey tournaments.
For example, it approved a $5,000 grant to the OFSAA organizing committee for ice rental fees for the 2006 provincial championships hosted here, and also purchased advertising in the amount of $842.10.
