ELK POINT – Elk Point Agricultural Society president Carrie Baumgardner, Acres for Ice committee member Loree Reynolds and A. G. Ross Arena secretary Courtney Kelly came to a special meeting of Elk Point Town Council last Monday with a sizeable ask – requesting a letter of support committing $187,500 toward their quest for a new ice plant for the arena.
That sum, combined with an equal amount from the County of St. Paul’s Community Organizations Grants and Loans policy available for unmatched funding, would equal the $375,000 requirement if the Agricultural Society is successful in their application for a $750,000 Active Communities Initiative Grant, which required letters of commitment by 4:30 p.m. that day, the delegation told council.
“We found out about a brand new grant through the province’s Department of Tourism and Sports and we put in an expression of interest, and were approved to apply. We’re here at the last minute because we have to get the application in today,” Baumgardner told council, adding, “We’ve raised a lot of funds toward this in the last two years, “ through Acres for Ice, the Cornhole tournaments and other events, but need further assistance from the municipalities to make up the balance of matching funds.
A totally enclosed unit would be delivered on skids and set on a foundation beside the arena and hooked into the existing system. The delegation presented a business plan showing how valuable the arena is to the community, and noted that without replacement of the aging current ice plant, the arena could be unable to function in the near future. Its failure would mean renting ice from other communities to continue hockey and skating programs.
“You’re preaching to the choir,” Mayor Parrish Tung told the delegation, with council very much aware of the current plant’s issues, which included replacing two motors in recent years.
CAO Ken Gwozdz and Director of Corporate and Community Service Lisa Han provided an overview of the town’s capital project plans, the2024 capital budget and 2024-2033 ten year capital plan, outlining urgent needs and expenses coming up, including engineering for a water reservoir and the purchase of a new fire pumper truck.
“It’s no secret, the town is going through a metamorphosis, and we have to make some concessions with cash limitations, our budget is pretty tight,” the mayor said, asking the council for their input before asking for their decision on the delegation’s request. He noted that the alternative of receiving the item as information “is not what you want to hear today,” and deferring the request to the Oct. 15 budget meeting would not meet the grant application requirements.
Although the CAO questioned a need further discussion in closed session, a motion was put forward to direct administration to prepare a letter of commitment from the Mayor’s office to the Agricultural Society for the ice plant contribution of $187,500 in 2025 and that the funds be included in the 2025 budget. The motion also included the stipulation that the Town will not be involved in any operating costs for the arena, with that motion passing unanimously. The delegation was assured that the required letter would be ready in time for their application submission for the Tourism and Sports grant.