There were no indications during this council’s current term about selling off the Komoka Community Centre as surplus property until now. It’s more than obvious that declaring the Komoka Community Centre is only being done to make room for a Commercial Development that could be built elsewhere in Middlesex Centre. A few points made in the staff report to make the Komoka Community Centre surplus property are addressed below.
Future Repairs to the Centre
The 2022 budget is business as normal with all facilities showing capital investment over the next 5 years. These projections reflect a point in time for each of the facilities. One facility may have had a new roof a few years ago and now another centre needs one and is now in the 5 year budget. To create a fair understanding of costs you need to look back as well as forward.
It was mentioned at the surplus Council meeting that there was $600K in the 5 year capital budget forecast for the Komoka Community Centre. Delaware Community Centre has the next highest forecast of $444K. Both budgets have allocated money to repave the parking lots at $180- $190K. I don’t know about Delaware, but the parking lot in Komoka is in better shape than the street I live on. Maybe that cost can be put out a little farther. Fun fact there is $1.36 million in the 5 year capital forecast for the Wellness Centre.
Centre Loses Money
All Community Centres lose money. We’ve been told that Middlesex Centre will be releasing the operational loss numbers for only the Komoka Community Centre. At the surplus meeting it was asked to see all operational cost numbers for all the community centres. If losing money makes a building surplus then likely all the Community Centres in Middlesex Centre are surplus.
To put things in perspective with other facilities that earn revenue; in 2021 Arenas lost $801,127, Community Centres lost $233,929.
To avoid Komoka-Kilworth residents from feeling they are being picked on in losing their Community Centre maybe Council should look at a few things to share the pain. Delaware is not far from the Wellness Centre, maybe that centre can be closed and Delaware can join the Komoka-Kilworth residents at the Wellness Centre. There is a $1 million in the budget for the Coldstream Municipal office renovations which includes an addition. Maybe Middlesex Centre should close the Coldstream Centre and use it for office space.
If Middlesex Centre became promoters of our Community Centres vs caretakers then revenues would increase. Maybe the focus should be on that vs. taking the Centre down.
Does the Wellness Centre replace Komoka Community Centre?
No it doesn’t!
- The Wellness Centre does not have outdoor baseball diamonds and soccer fields and it cannot support full service tournament rentals with a building to host registrations, meals etc. The Komoka Park and Community Centre is a great facility to host these types of events. They are a great team.
- 2nd floor meeting rooms at the Wellness Centre do not support banquet type activities. The Komoka Community Centre has 330 tables, chairs, place settings along with a fully equipped kitchen and a bar.
- Ground floor access for all events vs. stairs and elevators at the Wellness Centre. At the Komoka Centre vendors can unload at the big double doors and roll their inventory/displays right into the centre. Getting everything up to the second floor at the Wellness Centre is a gigantic pain.
- The YMCA controls the rentals of the gym and must work around their activities to rent. You also need to have a minimum of $2million in liability insurance to rent.
There is no denying that there are resident’s who have emotional ties to the Centre but the reasons for keeping the Community Centre extends well beyond emotion.
The Wellness Centre is great with two ice rinks, a YMCA and meeting rooms and is a facility for all of Middlesex Centre. It however is not the Community Centre for Komoka-Kilworth residents to which we can call our own.
Should the battle be lost on keeping Komoka Community Centre then another battle will emerge to repurpose the site for other public recreational uses and to object to changing the site to commercial zoning. The hockey and skating community is well served with the Wellness Centre rinks, maybe putting in an indoor/outdoor pool may be of interest to the community!